Rice-rinsing colander

Object Details

• Artist

  Hiroshima Kazuo 廣島一夫 (Japan, 1915-2013)

• Description

  Object is a large shallow container made of bamboo. The bowl shaped body is finely woven, with a plain wrapped rim and a slightly flattened bottom. The interior is a yellow/tan color, the exterior is green.

  The body is woven in a close weave twining pattern using wide, double wefts and narrow warps. The rim is finished off like many of Mr. Hiroshima's baskets, where the woven ends are folded over and held between two thick bamboo strips. This is lashed together with wide strips of bamboo, tightly bound to form a rounded rim. An additional thick strip of bamboo is wedged underneath the rim for support.

• Label

  This type of tightly woven colander plays a role in the process of preparing cakes of pounded glutinous rice (mochi); the colander is used for draining the raw rice after it has soaked in water and transferring it into the steamer to be cooked. Hinokage households prepare mochi for festivals for the New Year, 3 March, and 5 May; for spring and autumn festivals at the village shrine; and for family celebrations. They also use this type of colander for preparing the vegetables used in the elaborate stews (nishime) served at festival gatherings. Because of its association with food preparation, the colander is stored carefully when not in use; many households have used the same basket for decades.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Held and Let Go (November 21, 1998 to January 16, 1999)

• Origin

  Hinokage, Miyazaki prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Nakamura Kunio

• Type

  Tool and Equipment

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1990s

• Name

  Hiroshima, Kazuo

• Place

  Hinokage, Japan, Miyazaki prefecture

• Topic

  Contemporary Art, Heisei era (1989 - 2019), Art, Japanese Art, Food

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Tools and equipment