Japanese traditional bento box, wooden bento boxes

Born in Wajima, Ishikawa. Wooden bento box for adults

Beautiful white color and smooth texture. You can see the excellence of this bento box at first sight.
Japan has a culture of bento bako. In a small bento box, Japanese people fill seasonal foods and small stories.
This traditional bento box from Wajima Kirimoto has excellent texture of hiba and simple design. The wooden bento boxes are filled with Japanese skill and culture.

“Asunaro bento box” is produced by Wajima Kirimoto, in Kirimoto carpentry shop. Wajima Kirimoto has 150 years’ history in Wajima city in Ishikawa prefecture.
Asunaro or hiba has gentle color, comfortable flavor, and durability. In addition, hiba is easy to process. Wood turners make the best use of Asunaro, and produce traditional bento boxes one by one.
This traditional bento boxes are made with beauty of the material and detailed work of craftsmen. This is worthy of the name “bento box for adult.”

The designer of this traditional bento box is Masanori Ooji. He is famous for producing a porcelain brand “JICON” or a casting brand “FUTAGAMI.” He has a reputation as a designer making use of the materials.
We can see the pursuit in details on his design. The four sides of lid and box are round-cornered carefully. For miter joints, different wood lumber is used; Japanese white-barked magnolia. In addition to the milter joints, the coating is selected for making use of materials.
Your lunch time will become a high class Japanese dinner.

Used Asunaro natural wood luxuriously

When you imagine the traditional bento box, you may imagine the “mage wappa” made of Japanese cedar or cypress.
This traditional bento boxes are made of natural hiba grown in Wajima city. Wajima Kirimoto chose this local material for the bento boxes.
For the long durability, the wood should not get breakage, crack, or warped. Therefore, Wajima Kirimoto use the wood lumber settled for 10 to 20 years. Long-time settlement makes the wood better and durable.

The craftsmen of Wajima Kirimoto carefully produce the traditional bento boxes. Therefore, the corners are perfectly closed. Of course, lid and box can be closed absolutely.
In addition, the four corners of lid and box are carefully round-cornered. We can feel the craftsmanship and simple beauty.

Japanese white-barked magnolia for milter joints

As the milter joints for the woods, Wajima Kirimoto use Japanese white-barked magnolia. That different color wood make a beautiful contrast with white color of hiba.
Japanese people have used Japanese white-barked magnolia for daily life.
The milter joints get colored as time passes. Please enjoy the beautiful aging.

The reason of Asunaro for bento boxes

1. The white color of wood makes lunch look delicious

   The beautiful color of Asunaro make the color of foods stand out. Also, the simple texture of the bento boxes fit various kinds of cuisine. For Washoku, sandwich, or sashimi… What are you going to make with this traditional bento box?
   By the way, in Ginza (a town in Tokyo) style, sushi is served with wooden boxes like this bento bako. How about using traditional bento boxes as tableware?

2. Relaxing flavor of Japanese hiba

   Have a lunch time swallowed up in a fresh flavor of Asunaro.
   The luxury flavor would be a gorgeous break time of business men / women.
   Japanese hiba includes a relaxing ingredient of “hinokitiol.” We can enjoy the fresh flavor from the traditional bento boxes.
   When you wash the bento boxes after eating, you can feel like you are in onsen, or hot spring.
   The flavor of hinokitiol has the effect of easing tension, reducing stress, refreshing and relaxing.
   Please be relaxed with the flavor of wooden bento boxes.

3. Hard to be soaked the colors or flavors of foods

   Asunaro has been used as building materials.
   This material has effect of insect-repellent, antisepsis, and waterproofing.
   In addition to the strength of material, the wooden bento boxes are coasted with “glass coating” on the wood.
   “Glass coating” is a coating a main ingredient is liquid glassy ingredient.

   The coating does not interrupt the breathing of wood. Therefore, it can keep the beautiful texture of natural wood.
   The coating is deeply permeated into the wood and prevent the wood from dirt, crack, or deterioration.
   Of course, the coating is harmless for human body. You can use the bento box at ease.
   When you wash the traditional bento boxes, just wash them with ph.-balanced detergent and soft sponge.

4. Bactericidal action of hinokitiol

   Hinokitiol has great bactericidal action. It can suppress the increase of various germs, mold, or tick. Hinokitiol can demonstrate this effect with a little amount. You may worry about the poisonous of hinokitiol. But you do not have to worry about it. In fact, designated hinokitiol can be a food addictive. You can put raw foods like sashimi or sushi on the traditional bento boxes.

The design of Masanori Ooji

A designer Masanori Ooji designs various Japanese handmade crafts or traditional crafts.
He designed bottle opener, kitchen hot pads, pot cleaners, mage wappa, or chopstick rests. Daily utensils get great design by Masanori Ooji.
Not gorgeous, but new and somehow nostalgic. The designer said “” I would like to send products with long usability, comfortable use, and reasonable price.” Also, he said “the buyers look the texture and usability first, then form.”
You will be surprised to see the usability and function of the products he designed.

Calmly link design

The design of Masanori Ooji is characterized by the making best use of materials.
Mr. Ooji gazes the materials such as wood, brass, or glass. Then, he imagines the use scene of that product. Who use it? How he/she hand it, and where he/she put it? How is the interior in one’s house? He imagines the environment of the product, and make the idea into design.
For this traditional bento box, his idea came upon when he saw the shaved white wood. He was impressed with the beauty of the white wood, and thought “I would like to produce a product with just the way this wood is.” He paid attention to the features of hiba: hiba is a family of Japanese cypress, has bactericidal action and waterproofing. He made the best use of features, and produced this wooden bento box.
He takes part in manufacturing with design. Every day, he considers the design that will link various things calmly and comfortably.
The fusion of traditional skill of Wajima Kirimoto with design of Masanori Ooji give birth to the finest quality bento box.

With lacquer chopstick of Wajima Kirimoto

When you get excellent bento box, how about great chopsticks?
Wajima lacquer ware is famous for finest quality lacquer chopsticks.
Glossy chopsticks are “Uwanuri” and mat ones are “Makiji.” The sizes are different from colors. Red for women, and black for men. Red is shorter than black. Of course, however, men can use red, and women can use black.
Uwanuri has beautiful gloss of lacquer. Makiji is also lacquered, but has mat texture. The reason is the sand coating. Special sand is coated, and lacquered over the sand.

Now, ellipse chopsticks are very rare.
In fact, ellipse chopsticks were once the mainstream of chopsticks. The oval shape was shaped by craftsmen. It takes a time, so, the manufacturing of ellipse chopsticks was once stopped.
However, local people longed that “please produce ellipse chopsticks again!” then, Wajima Kirimoto decided to revive the manufacturing.
Oval shape is easy to hand from the view of ergonomics.
We can feel the chopsticks fit perfectly with our hands.

We offer two types and two colors. Makiji or Uwanuri, and red or black. Please find your favorite one!
We recommend this lacquer chopsticks with traditional bento box of Wajima Kirimoto.

Japanese traditional bento box has commanding presence

We seldom have time to search good bento boxes.
When you imagine Japanese traditional bento boxes, mage wappa may be come upon with your mind.
This wooden bento box has beautiful white texture of wood and detailed design.
The bento box itself is a beauty.
When you eat your lunch with this traditional bento box, you may be asked “where did you get that bento box?
The traditional bento box of Wajima Kirimoto has commanding presence.