Eifu KAWAMATA
YUIOKE｜Contemporary Japanese Wooden Containers

Yuioke is a wooden container built using barrel-making techniques. It is made from solid untreated wood, without any water-repellent treatment—a breathing vessel exposing the beauty of the wooden surface.

Yuioke are traditionally crafted without any chemical treatment of the wood, using meticulous traditional techniques passed down through generations. They are familiar in Japan and have been used historically and presently for various purposes involving water and liquids. There are yuioke for dining and cooking, such as sushi rice containers and serving rice containers; large bathing tubs for the bathroom; and also large sake barrels, soy sauce barrels, miso barrels, and vinegar barrels. Yuioke have been widely used since ancient times in daily life and in the food industry in forest-rich Japan.

Eifu Kawamata is the fourth-generation owner of “Okeei,” founded in 1887 in Fukagawa, Edo (Tokyo). He inherited the technique of making yuioke for all kinds of cooking and dining-related containers, called Edo-bitsu. He is currently the only yuioke craftsman in Tokyo dedicated to making wooden containers. Okeei uses only sawara (Japanese cypress) and hinoki (Japanese cypress) trees that are up to 300 years old. Kawamata personally selects the finest raw wood and handles all 70 to 80 steps of the production process alone until completion.

A yuioke is sturdy and light. Using a curved hatchet (nata), the craftsman splits logs into curved staves. These staves are joined around a baseboard and formed into a container shape, which is then tightened with a metal hoop. If a bucket is carved from a single piece of wood, it is sturdy but heavy, prone to warping, and large buckets cannot be made this way. If made from bentwood, it is thin and easy to work with but too delicate for use as a liquid container.

The advantage of yuioke is that it is light and can withstand years of harsh conditions involving repeated wetting and drying. This technique is said to have begun around the late 11th century. Since then, craftsmen have specialized according to the intended use. Until after World War II, it was an indispensable craft in every neighborhood. At that time, there were even specialists in repair work, and as you walked through the streets, you could hear the sound of wood being carved and smell the scent of wood in the air.

Despite its simple construction, yuioke boasts precision that prevents any leakage and presents a smooth surface finish. While the quality of the materials and the skill of the workmanship are important, the care given to the blades and tools is also evident in the finished wood.

The workshop Okeei was located close to Kiba, the center of timber trade that had flourished since the Edo period. Being able to select logs ideal for barrel-making—with just the right balance of oil and moisture—was undoubtedly a key to their success. In particular, the Edo-style rice containers crafted by Okeei were highly valued from the very beginning as beautiful utensils that enhanced refined dining culture, especially in the pleasure districts of Tokyo.

Barrel-making was traditionally divided among specialists, and most workshops prioritized efficiency over a commitment to quality. Starting from raw logs meant higher material costs and more waste. However, as Kawamata-san says, no matter how much time and effort it took, Okeei has always maintained its dedication to craftsmanship, insisting on making barrels from raw logs for the sake of achieving the highest quality.

Times have changed, and nowadays yuioke have become something special.

In former times, most barrels were tightened by bamboo hoops (taga); in modern times, they have been replaced by copper, and now Mr. Kawamata uses nickel silver. With his new concept of yuioke as a container, his elegant yuioke have begun to go beyond their traditional uses. They are no longer limited to Japanese dining tables but are now embracing everything from Western cuisine and wine to flowers, aquatic plants, and even goldfish. Their combination of thickness, softness, and texture is unique. The finish of these containers—done by just a single cut of a blade, never to be undone—requires the true mastery of the craftsman. That is why their understated presence is so moving.

Many beautiful yuioke have arrived from Tokyo. We are introducing the work of Kawamata-san for the first time in Kyoto. Please enjoy this invigorating eastern breeze blowing from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Eifu KAWAMATA｜川又栄風 

Fourth-generation yuioke master craftsman of Okeei workshop
Born in 1961 in Fukagawa, Tokyo, a district known as the city of timber.
Graduated from the Department of Sociology at Rikkyo University in 1983 under Professor Takeda. Active member of the scuba diving club.
After working in a company, he apprenticed under his father, Eiichi Kawamata, beginning in 1986.
Took over as the fourth-generation head of Okeei in 2007.
In 2016, Okeei celebrated its 130th anniversary.

Portrait photos by Tadayuki MINAMOTO