Whalebone hanakago, Japa ,Meiji-Taisho

Whalebone Hanakago – Flower Basket for Ikebana

Rare Japanese whalebone basket (kujirahige), intended for ikebana flower arrangements. This type of flower basket, called a hanakago, dates from the 19th century or the very beginning of the Taish? era (1912-1926).

Whalebone, made from keratin strips taken from baleen whales, was traditionally used in Japanese whaling ports to make everyday objects such as combs, boxes, and household utensils. To weave, the strips were first softened by soaking, then split into very thin strips. These were then woven using both heat and moisture, achieving the flexibility needed for designs as complex as those on bamboo, while retaining the resilience and unique luster of the baleen once dry.

Baleen flower baskets are an extremely rare exception in this utilitarian corpus. Their creation required exceptional skill: each strip had to be calibrated to adapt to the weaving tension, then secured to prevent shrinkage or warping during drying. The resulting brown surface with its glossy sheen captures the light and highlights the geometry of the motif.

This hanakago features a delicately bound high handle, curved sides, and a wide opening, perfect for holding a floral arrangement in a tokonoma. Very few comparable examples are known, even in Japan. The Taiji Whale Museum in Wakayama houses a monumental flower basket measuring 52 cm in height, one of the few museum parallels recorded.

Dimensions: total height 34 cm; width 28.5 cm; depth 24 cm.