From Smoke to Form – Kazuho Shimomoto’s Quiet Beginnings
Hello, this is Tomotake Ichikawa, owner of 1basketry.
Starting Thursday, July 3rd, both our physical shop and online store are hosting
“The One Table” Exhibition
Design to Hold – Kazuho Shimomoto: Kiln-smoked Bamboo Cutlery —
We’re delighted to present this special feature.
We’ve already had many visitors enjoying the exhibition,
and I’m once again struck by the quiet charm of Kazuho’s bamboo cutlery.
There are still many pieces available, so whether you come alone
or with family and friends, we warmly invite you to stop by.
Following on from the previous column, this second part focuses on how Kazuho began making bamboo cutlery.
Before he started working with cutlery, he studied design and fine art.
His full-time creative work using bamboo began in 2006.
Since then, over nearly two decades, Kazuho has crafted a wide range of bamboo products with his own hands.
The story begins with something essential to Kazuho’s current cutlery making—
a charcoal kiln he built by hand.
Of course, saying “he built a kiln himself” makes it sound simple,
but in reality, it was no easy task.
Kazuho says he was only able to do it with the help of many people.
Because the kiln was built on his grandparents’ land,
people from the local community—both young and old—came together to support the effort.
The handmade kiln was completed in 2001,
and for about five years afterward, Kazuho used it to make charcoal from oak and other hardwoods.
When making charcoal, a great deal of smoke is produced.
At the chimney where all that smoke billows out,
Kazuho once hung a few bamboo spoons—made from bamboo he had on hand—in a basket.
That simple act became the unexpected beginning of the richly toned cutlery
that would later become his signature work.
The photo left a strong impression on me.
When I first saw it, I felt that these were less like spoons and more like jet-black art pieces.
As I stood there, quietly absorbed, Kazuho said this:
“I was thinking of them more as objects, really—as art pieces, I guess.
Something you could technically use, but mostly just… an object.”
These blackened spoons weren’t smoked inside the kiln,
but were instead exposed directly to the smoke as it poured out.
As a result, they absorbed such a strong smoky aroma that it could alter the taste of food—
and so they weren’t really suitable for everyday use.
From charcoal making to cutlery crafting.
Though he originally studied design, Kazuho once told me
that at the time, he had grown somewhat weary of the act of “designing.”
In contrast, building a charcoal kiln and making charcoal were physically demanding,
but the work itself was straightforward and simple in nature.
As I listened to him speak, I couldn’t help but wonder—
perhaps through the repetition of such simple, physical work,
somewhere deep inside, without even realizing it,
his urge to design and create began to quietly return.
Maybe that time spent building the kiln and making charcoal—
steady, unadorned work—was, for someone like Kazuho with a background in design,
a kind of quiet interlude in his life, a moment to pause and breathe.
Kazuho once told me that he even made chopsticks from bamboo that had been naturally darkened
by the smoke rising up and brushing against it over time.
Since he began creating bamboo cutlery in earnest using the charcoal kiln,
Kazuho has continued to craft what he describes as
“functional pieces with a refined appearance and a design that doesn’t insist on itself.”
True to his words, his cutlery balances thoughtful design with ease of use—
quiet, well-made tools for everyday life.
During this visit to Kochi, what left the deepest impression on me
was the richness of connection between Kazuho and the people around him.
Over the course of several days, I was fortunate to meet and speak with many of those connected to his work—
neighbors, people from the same region, and others closely involved in what he does.
– The person who first inspired him to build a charcoal kiln
– Those who supported the idea and helped build the kiln alongside him
– The one who documented the process
– The person who created a space for meaningful encounters and gatherings
– A friend who once studied design with him
– Someone who helps process the bamboo
– The one who first introduced his cutlery to the world
Being there in Kochi, I came to truly feel that Kazuho’s work—
from the handmade charcoal kiln to the bamboo cutlery—
continues on with the quiet support and joy of those around him.
Some may imagine that craft is a solitary pursuit—something done quietly, alone.
And of course, Kazuho has his own quiet, focused time to work on his own.
But during this visit, I was reminded that his craft is also built upon something else:
a deeper connection to the people and the place around him.
The bamboo cutlery Kazuho creates carries a quiet depth—
sharp in form, yet softened by warmth and calm.
Most importantly, it feels good to use.
With time, the texture becomes even gentler, more mellow,
but that first impression—sharp, yet quiet—stays with you,
and grows even more endearing as the years go by.
Just as I was finishing up this part of the column, I received a call from Kazuho.
He told me he had recently fired a new batch of bamboo charcoal—
something that hasn’t been available for some time—and will be bringing it to the exhibition!
It will be available in limited quantities starting midway through the event.
This bamboo charcoal—so closely tied to Kazuho’s beginnings in charcoal making—
will be available in-store starting Sunday, July 6, the day he visits.
We hope you’ll look forward to it as well.
The End
Photography: Nobuyoshi Kawakami
▽▼
“The One Table” Exhibition
Design to Hold – Kazuho Shimomoto’s Smoked Bamboo Cutlery
July 2025
Thu 3, Fri 4, Sat 5, Sun 6*
Thu 10, Fri 11, Sat 12
Thu 17, Fri 18, Sat 19
→ The exhibition has been extended by one week!
*Kazuho will be in the store on Sunday, July 6.
Open | 11:00–16:00
In person at our shop in Minami-Senju, Tokyo: 1basketry