Chinese-style Flower Basket (karamono-utsushi hanakago) with Loop Handle

This Chinese-style flower basket has a cocoon- or melon-shaped body that is double-walled, making it virtually opaque. The base features double hemp-leaf plaiting (asa-no-ha-ami) while the exterior sides are made with diagonal mat plaiting (gozame-ami). The handle is fashioned from three bent stalks of bamboo, a larger one flanked by two smaller ones, which are fastened together at various points with decorative rattan knots.

In traditional-style Japanese homes, floral arrangements in baskets may be placed in a recessed alcove called the tokonoma. All items placed in the tokonoma should harmonize with one another and fit a particular occasion or seasonal event. In this way bamboo baskets containing flowers help to create a particular mood throughout the interior.