Bamboo and Shibari

The use of bamboo is a cultural heritage and tradition for the Japanese. Bamboo has played an indispensable role in Japanese society since ancient times; its strength, lightness, and flexibility give it a wide range of uses. Besides its primary purposes, it also holds an important place in shibari performances.

Bamboo combs and baskets have been unearthed at Jomon Period archaeological sites in both Honshu and Kyushu. These findings demonstrate that bamboo groves grew across a vast region of Japan and that bamboo has been used since the earliest times. It is believed that people began eating bamboo shoots during this period. Sites from the Nara Period (710-794) show that bamboo was used to make musical instruments such as the Shakuhachi (Japanese flute).

Bamboo was also used in the making of bows and arrows during the Kamakura and Muromachi Periods (1192-1573). Bamboo was also an important material in the distinctive Sukiya-Zukuri architectural style that emerged during the Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1603) and Edo (1600-1868) Periods.