Decorative Japanese Bamboo Basket – Hanakago for Ikebana, 1940s

Elegant, handwoven bamboo basket with an airy open weave and two handles.

Dimensions: height 46 cm, width 27 cm, depth 27 cm.

The shape narrows slightly towards the top, giving the basket an elegant look and good stability. The surface shows a warm, dark brown sheen with subtle tonal variations in the bamboo, developed through age and use.

This basket is a hanakago (花籠) – literally “flower basket” – as used in the Japanese ikebana tradition. Hanakago were originally made by bamboo artisans to arrange flowers or branches, often with a separate glass or metal insert. This piece can still be used as an ikebana basket, but it also works beautifully as a decorative object on its own, or as a basket for branches, dried flowers or textures in a wabi-sabi interior.

In very good condition, with a natural patina that highlights its age.