Sunami Toru Shoten

Kurashiki Okayama, Japan

Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture is known for its handicrafts and beautiful natural landscapes. This region is also known to be the birthplace of the former production of Igusa, rush grass. It once used to be a thriving area for igusa farming and the related industries. 

Founded in 1886, Sunami Toru Shoten originally manufactured mats using rush grass. As the igusa production area declined, Sunami Toru Shoten stopped making mats and now produces igusa baskets called "ikago". Ikago is a hand-held basket made by weaving rush rope into a sheet on a special loom, which is then hand-formed into a basket shape with a handle attached. Baskets made of rush were called "yamikago", and used for shopping in black markets during and the post-war period. 

Today, Mr. Ryuki Sunami, the fifth generation of Sunami Toru Shoten keeps their legacy of family business. He is the only producer of ikago, and continues to create other items using rush grass individually by hand, while applying the methods and memories he has inherited from his grandmother.

These are the tools of daily life that embody Kurashiki's beautiful traditions to this day for us.