The Wagasa, written 和傘 in Japanese are traditional umbrellas made of Bamboo, oil andJapanese paper. Handmade, the Wagasa have been introduced in Japan from China during the Heian Period [794 – 1185]. However, at that time umbrellas looked more like a straw hat and a cape. It is only during the 14th Century that they started looking like nowadays umbrellas. The principle of bamboo and paper umbrellas first originated in China but became extremely popular toward wealthy Japanese Noble especially during the Edo period [1600 – 1868]. It is only after the Second World War that Japanese umbrella started to disappear to the profit of Western umbrellas made of synthetic materials. Nowadays, the number of craftsmen using the ancient, handmade technique of production is very limited in Japan.
Read More
