Handcrafting Japanese Cedar Wood Into Aromatic Magewappa

Yoshimasa Shibata from Odate, Akita in northern Japan follows a tradition that can be traced back nine centuries when he makes his magewappa bentwood boxes. Typically used for storing food, magewappa boxes are made from Japanese cedarwood which is cut in varying lengths and then soaked in hot water so it may become malleable. The artisan then bends the wood into the desired shape, pins it together, and leaves it to dry. The round cedar bottom and lid are then formed in a similar fashion and hammered or glued into place.

Initially a side-job for low ranking samurai, magewappa is now considered more of an art form, with it becoming a nationally designated Japanese craft in 1980. Magewappa was created in Odate City, and woodworkers there are known for their thin, durable, and heavenly scented bentwood boxes. The properties of cedar wood are conducive to food storage; the aroma pairs well with food, it’s breathable (preventing foods from becoming soggy), and it’s lightweight (making it convenient to use as a lunchbox). 

Yoshimasa is not only continuing a Japanese art form, but is upholding a family legacy. His father Yoshinobu Shibata began creating magemono, a container made by bending a thin wood sheet of a Japanese cypress tree or a Japanese cedar tree, in the early 60s, before he would eventually dedicate himself to the practice of magewappa (the traditional magemono of his region). In 1966 Yoshinobu founded his business Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten, he would then go on to establish the Odate Magewappa Association as its founding member.