about okeei

■ 江戸結桶と桶栄

 
水回りの器具や運搬、保存、醸造などの容器に用いられてきた桶は、
最初、木を刳りぬいた素朴なものでした。やがて、へぎ板を綴じた
曲物（まげもの）に変わり、鎌倉時代には割板を丸や小判形に
接合して竹や金属の細いコードである箍たがで固定する〝結桶〟が
登場します。

結桶は、浴槽から飯びつまでさまざまなサイズに対応可能で、軽くて
丈夫なことから、暮らしや産業を支える必需品として広まります。
江戸時代になると、地元材による結桶が各地でつくられるようになり
ました。

大消費地の江戸では、材木は各地から運ばれ、職人は要望に応じて
桶をつくりました。現在の江東区深川の木場は、江戸時代初期より
良質な木材の集積場として発展。東京で唯一残る江戸結桶の
店・桶栄は、明治20 年（1887）に深川にて開業しました。木材を
調達できる地の利があり、深川花柳界の需要もあったからです。
初代・川又新右衛門がつくる飯びつや桶は形の美しさと造りのよさで
評判を呼び、多くの料亭で使われました。

戦後、プラスチック製品の普及や炊飯器の登場、ライフスタイルの
変化で、結桶職人は激減しますが、桶栄では、四代目の川又栄風が
江戸結桶を受け継ぎ、製造を続けています。

その昔、あたりまえに存在していた桶を、暮らしを豊かにする道具
として提案する当代は、伝統技法を尊ぶことを第一に、原材料を選び
抜き、見えないところのひと手間を怠ることなく、白木の桶の清々し
さを皆様にお届けしたいと願っています。　

Edo yui-oke and Oke-ei

Tubs or basins used to be made of simply carved out wood:
they served a variety of purposes for everyday life of
Japanese people, from carrying, storing food and water. Later,
people started using bentwood to create round shaped boxes.
It was only during the Kamakura period, the 12th-14th century,
that yui-oke, literally translates as “bound tub”, style wooden
tubs came to everyday use. It was  made of smaller but thicker
boards, bound together with thin hoops of bamboo or metal,
to create round, oval shaped tubs.

This new style made it possible to create tubs of a much wider
variety in size; from bath tub to rice keeper. It is light-weighted
and durable, perfect for any kind of tools for work or daily use.
After the 17th century, these yui-oke style tubs spread to
every corner of Japan, utilizing the local materials.

Unlike the other places, the city of Edo, former Tokyo, which is
considered to have had the biggest population in the world
at that time, saw its prosperity as a trading hub; abundant,
wide range of material were gathered from all around the country,
so the wood workers could make variety of tubs as requested.
Kiba, which means lumberyard, located in Fukagawa, came
to be known for its quality of wood. And Oke-ei, now the only
Edo yui-oke maker left in Tokyo, first opened its door in 1887
in this Fukagawa area for its geographical advantage, and
for the booming local economy centered around the coutesans’
saloons. Many restaurants and saloons requested rice keepers,
containers crafted by Shin-e-mon KAWAMATA, the founder of
Oke-ei, as it was known for its durability and sophisticated design.

After the WWⅡ, Japanese life style changed drastically; plastic wares
and automated rice cooker quickly came to be a part of daily life,
resulting in a decrease of yui-oke craftsmen. Eifu KAWAMATA,
the fourth generation to take on the Edo yui-oke crafting of
Oke-ei, however, continues to carry on his expertise.

He believes in learning from the tradition, careful selection of the
raw material,and attention to details. So the Edo yui-oke,
once being a part of Edo people’s daily life, can continue to
bring pristine, fresh breeze to our everyday, modern life.


文/ 田中敦子　writings/ Atsuko Tanaka   
英訳/ 吉沢朋　translation/ Tomo Yoshizawa
 

■ 江戸結桶の素材と工程

 
桶に使用している木材は、樹齢300 年の木曽産天然椹（さわら）です。
近年は林野庁の伐採制限もあり、貴重な材となっていますが、年輪が
緻密で揃っているため収縮率が均等で狂いにくく、油分が多いことから
水や酸に強いという利点があり、手に持てば軽く、木の香りも
やわらかいため、桶栄では代々使い続けている原材料です。

江戸結桶は、ぐるりに使う側板（がわいた）づくりが要となります。
まずは、桶の高さに合わせて丸太を玉切りにし、
〝くれ〟または〝くりしげ〟と呼ばれるへの字型の鉈（なた）を当てて
木槌で打ちつけ、柾目（まさめ） の割材をつくります。
柾目取りするのは、材に狂いが出にくいからです。また、
白太（しらた）と呼ばれる丸太の外側は水分が多いため、身の締まった
内側の赤太（あかた） だけで製造しています。手割りした側板は
水洗いと天日干しを繰り返しながら約半年かけて乾燥させ、さらに薪を
焚いた室（むろ）で丸一日燻（いぶ）し乾燥します。
手間も時間もかかる下準備ですが、こうしてアクや水分を
抜き切ることで、木は引き締まり、粘りも出て、強度のある材になるのです。

この後は削り仕事です。丸または小判形で裾すぼまりな桶になるよう、
割材の内外のカーブと接面の角度を決めながら、工程ごとに
異なる刃物を用いて仕上げていきます。洋銀や銅の箍で締めて
側面ができたら、天板や底板をはめ込みます。さらに加工や調整を
加え、木の表面を磨き上げ、結桶は完成します。

Materials and Procedures

Over 300 year-old Sawara-cypress from Kiso, central
part of Japan, can only be used to craft Edo yui-oke. It is known
for the fine and even tree rings which reduces the odds of
uneven stretch in some parts; it is also high in its oil
containment, keeping away water or acid. All of these
factors contribute to the longevity of the final product.
And its lightness, topped with the natural gentle aroma,
is the very reason why Oke-ei still sticks to
Sawara-Cypress despite the increasingly difficult procurement
due to the restriction on the felling.

The process of making side plates that surround a tub
almost defines the final product and its quality. Therefore,
the procedure below is taken up with utmost care.First,
cut a log to desired length. Apply an L-shaped hatchet onto
the cut-out surface, then hit the top of the hatchet with a mallet.
The hatchet will then slash the log into straight grained boards.
It has to be straight grain as it is least likely to cause
deformation of the product later on. The core of the log,
heartwood, is solid and tight in comparison to the periphery
called sapwood, which contains more moisture inside.
The entire Edo yui-oke products, thus, are made solely out of
heartwood.

The next step is to dry these hand-cut boards; they will be
repeatedly handwashed and dried under the Sun, for about
half a year. And to complete the process, these boards will be
smoked for an entire day.
By completely draining and purifying through this time-and-
energy-consuming preparation, wood boards grow tougher,
more solid and durable.

Finally the boards are ready to be shaven into the ideal,
perfect shape.
The tubs are usually round or oval, slightly narrowing down
towards the bottom. This means that the curves on the
inside/outside plates need to be delicately planned and precisely
finished, together with the meticulously accurate angles on
the sides edges where each plate meets. A variety of shaving
tools, each of which specifically designed to serve a particular
task, help coming to an ideal outcome.Bind and tighten the
side plates with nickel silver or copper hoops, and then place
bottom and top boards inside the tub. More minor adjustments
and polishing to be added until a perfect yui-oke is completed.
　
文/ 田中敦子　writings/ Atsuko Tanaka   
英訳/ 吉沢朋　translation/ Tomo Yoshizawa