Japanese Woven Ikebana Bamboo Basket Maeda Chikubosai I

A woven bamboo ikebana hanakago (flower basket) with handle circa first half of the 20th century (Taisho or Showa era) by Japanese bamboo master Maeda Chikubosai I (1872-1950). In the classic form known as "hu", named after its ancient bronze counterpart, this basket has a harmonious proportion and a beautiful silouette. Hand-woven with bamboo and rattan and equipped with a copper lined bamboo inner vase, the basket was intricately constructed with compound lozenge plaiting and reinforcement of alternate twining. Bended vertical bamboo stripes partitioned the surface into six (hexagon) sections, rendering this basket a sophisticated appearance. The upper edges features bands tightly woven with lozenge plaiting with vertical twisting twining. An arched handle with natural irregular branches was chosen as a poetic touch finish for this piece. The base of the basket was incised with inscription Chikubōsai zoshi (竹房齋造之).
Chikubosai I was one of the most important bamboo artists of the 20th century from the Kansai Region and active in Sakai, Osaka prefecture. He was instructed by Wada Waichisai I ((1851-1901).