Kakunodate Cherry-Bark Craft Center

©Manami Okazaki/Lonely Planet

Exampla kabazaiku items. Kabazaiku objects are made using the bark of a cherry tree, and have a lustrous patina.

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Inside this elegant building you'll find exhibits and demonstrations of kabazaiku, the craft of covering household or decorative items in fine strips of cherry bark. This pursuit was first taken up by lower-ranking and masterless samurai in times of hardship.

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