Chinese-style flower basket

Morita Chikuami

late 19th century

Bamboo, lacquer, copper

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A dark brown woven bamboo basket with a handle is displayed against a neutral background. The basket has a trapezoidal shape, widening towards the base, and features intricate woven patterns and decorative elements. Working out of a shop in Kyoto, established by his family in 1819 and still open for business today, Morita Chikuami specialized in creating bamboo baskets for a type of Japanese tea ceremony called sencha. Sencha emerged in Japan in the 1700s, based on contemporary Chinese practices, and was especially popular among the cultural elites of urban Japan. A key component of sencha decoration is flower arrangements, which often utilize bamboo flower baskets like this one. Symmetrical, with an abundance of meticulous decorative detailing, it reflects an age-old Chinese tradition of bamboo basketry that is in stark contrast to the freer f