Re: Yanagigouri (Traditional wicker trunk)

Hello Marchan,

I was quite surprised that you are still using a 110 year-old YANAGIGOURI on a daily basis.

Every house had some of them in their closets in olden times, but nobody has one in my area now.

I can recollect two examples concerning YANAGIGOURI.

One time was when we were taking care of a baby, we used the lid upside down and put the small child inside, so that we could push it around like a sledge on the tatami-matted room.　

We were scolded since tatami wore out very quickly.

However, it is just as good as a cradle.

Another example was in our school days when we were returning home for summer or winter vacation, clothes were packed in them and sent to our homes.

Usually, hemp string was put around the trunk on the outside on its four sides, and tied tightly in a diamond shape on the top in order to keep the trunk from opening.
Two paper name-tags were attached to this string with thin wire, and we could send the trunk cheaply by train if we showed a railway ticket.
It was then put into the freight car on our passenger train.

The trunk was often so heavy that I had to carry it home on a bicycle, which was difficult as I couldnt steer very well because of its weight.

Pan