Spring Tide

This work was created with the ara-ami technique, meaning “rough” or “coarse” plaiting, and exemplifies the rustic and bold side of Fujinuma Noboru’s oeuvre. The artist was named a Living National Treasure in 2012 for his work with nemagari bamboo, which has an extremely thin but pliable stem. He uses alkaline dyes to color the bamboo and shapes it to create the kind of form seen here as well as works with meticulous fine plaiting. He has produced a number of pieces with the title Spring Tide, but this example is the most impressively sized.