Rice Container of Magewappa
That’s the Best Container for Cooked Rice

Date：31, Jul, 2014
Investigated and Written by Misaka Youhei
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Have you ever heard Magewappa? It means Japanese traditional bentwood goods for containing something like cooked rice, sake and so on. Magewappa has existed as traditional handcrafts at some prefectures as Shizuoka, Mie, Akita and the like. Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten is one of them who have made traditional magewappa in Odate city, Akita prefecture. Their rice container called Ohitsu is the best for keeping cooked rice.

It was common using Ohitsu for containing cooked rice before Japan's rapid economic growth, and it is still for some aged Japanese. But it is also found magewappa is not just out-of-date.

They have produced only non-coating Ohitsu of magewappa at Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten in Akita, using no urethane. “We have used urethane once, but soon we noticed it did not perfume appetizing because urethane smell moved to cooked rice. Then, we decided to use no coating on all of our rice containers” said Shibata Yoshinobu.

Using Akita cedars, they create their Ohitsu at Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten. That is a material of nature, needless to say. Cedars originally breathe well and own bactericidal effect. Then, cooked rice is harder to be spoiled and stays delicious when it has cooled as long as being kept inside their Ohitsu.

Akita is a famous place which produces good rice. No doubt that it is time-honored wisdom of Akita to keep cooked rice delicious with a natural air conditioner. Cedars are one of creatures that live on the earth.

Maybe you guess Akita cedars are a natural material and tender itself. Shibata says you can use for generations, in a case of their Ohitsu, as long as you wash using scrubbing brush without detergents and add Shibaki-nuri as needed.

Rice has been the same as old time in Japan. So it is better use old wisdom for containing rice. That precious tradition still breathes well at Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten and waits for you in Akita prefecture.