It is said that chopsticks in Japan were originally made from bamboo, which is why the kanji for "chopsticks" incorporates the kanji for "bamboo".
Nestled in the dense forests of Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan, Yamachiku is a 2nd generation company crafting beautiful and high-quality chopsticks from bamboo. Yamachiku partners with independent bamboo cutters and landowners to harvest bamboo grown in Kumamoto and Fukuoka Prefectures. The bamboo they use, the Moso variety, is incredibly sustainable - it can grow 20 meters (65 feet) in only 6 months. Indeed, harvesting it in a managed fashion is quite beneficial for the forest, because if bamboo is left to grow wild, it will take over the forest and cut off any light getting to the forest floor.
Yamachiku is the only company that has the capability to perform every step in the chopstick making process in house. They are “forest to chopstick”, so to speak. It takes a remarkable 30 steps to make a high-quality bamboo chopstick. First, Yamachiku cuts chopstick blanks from bamboo that is between 3 to 5 years old (younger bamboo is not strong enough). The blanks are then dried for one week at 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) in a machine fueled by scraps leftover from the chopstick-making process. After the drying process, the chopsticks are first rough-shaped. The craftspeople then use one or more of a variety of machines to give each chopstick its final shape. Next, the chopsticks are given their finishing coating. If using paint, it takes two coats and four days. If the chopsticks are lacquered, it takes substantially more time as they receive six coats, and lacquer is slower to dry than paint. In all, it takes about 40 days to craft a painted chopstick and about 80 days for a lacquered chopstick.
Yamachiku’s attention to detail even follows into the packing room, where employees pair chopsticks from each batch, making sure that the color, length, and shape are matched.
Shaping and painting the chopsticks.
We were duly impressed by the chopsticks Yamachiku produces. When many people think of bamboo chopsticks, they only think of the cheap, disposable ones included in takeout meals. Yamachiku is at the opposite side of the spectrum, producing durable, beautiful bamboo chopsticks that are flexible yet strong, lightweight, and made to last for 5 to 10 years. And they do this with a dedication to thinking deeply about the environment and how to help steward it.
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