Conical Basket

飯塚琅玕斎作 花籃

Iizuka Rokansai, younger brother of Hosai II, is considered one of the leading masters of Japanese bamboo art. He helped transform bamboo basket making, once considered a form of artisanry, into a recognized art form. He also categorized—as had been done in the past with calligraphy and other art forms—baskets into three types: formal, semiformal, and informal. This meticulously plaited, symmetrically balanced work is an example of the formal type.