Japanese bamboo craft experts come to Cornwall to demonstrate art

Experts in Japanese bamboo crafting have been showing off their skills at gardens in Cornwall.

The tradition of ‘takezaiku’ – which translates as ‘bamboo craft’ – has been used for centuries to create items ranging from chopsticks to entire bridges.

The team from Japan has been exploring the giant bamboo groves at Trebah Gardens near Falmouth and demonstrating how they select and cut the right canes for their intricate woven designs.

It’s hoped the results of the Cornish collaboration could be selected to be shown at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Trebah Gardens sits in a steep valley running down to the Helford River.

It’s a haven for tropical and subtropical plants like magnolias, gunnera and palm trees – and for thick stands of giant bamboo.

Craftsman Akihiro Mashimo, 48, from Kyoto was pleased to find the flexible canes he needed.

He said: “I have been searching for that kind of bamboo on this trip. My goal this time was to find something similar to the Japanese type in the UK which is why I came here to Cornwall.”

Alongside him, apprentice Yoshika Yakabe, 24, was helping transform the canes into fence panels and pieces of art.

“In Japan it is common to make things out of bamboo. It is quite flexible and can bend so it’s well suited to make things like this, so I have got a lot of images in my mind already,’ she said.

Keeping a watchful eye on proceedings was head gardener at Trebah, Darren Dickie.

He said: “The timber bamboo, as it’s commonly known, grows really well in Cornwall and does well at Trebah because of our moist, milder winters, so if you had this in very dry conditions you would have very small canes.”

The visit to Trebah Gardens was the result of an international conversation, partially inspired by the BBC TV presenter Monty Don.

The London-based floral artist Alice McCabe, 41, persuaded the Japanese crafters to come to Trebah after she saw the bamboo groves on the TV.

“It was set up as an exchange, the foundation of our collaboration,” she explained.

“Aki was interested in floral displays and I was interested in bamboo, so the more time we have to work together and see each other working, the better.”