all photos by Tadayuki Minamoto

Born in 1973 in Osaka, Tanabe Chiku’unsai is a bamboo artist and craftsman that has been carrying on a family legacy that spans 4 generations. In 2017, at the age of 44, he was given the title of Chiku’unsai IV, making him the official bearer of his family’s craft of weaving, assembling and designing bamboo baskets. And while these pieces are stunning — works of art in their own right — where the 4th generation Chiku’unsai really excels is in going places where his ancestors haven’t: creating large-scale, site specific installations that engulf and encompass the spaces they’re constructed in.

Installation at Ginza Tsutaya Books (2020)

Tanabe Chiku’unsai uses the same weaving techniques that go into traditional baskets, but applies them to large-scale[…]

Installation at Garden Oriental Osaka (2019)

More: The Billowing, Organic Bamboo Sculptures of Tanabe Chiku’unsai IV