Japanese Vintage Antique Mingei Bamboo Basket & Ikkanbari-style Tea Caddy Set

This is a set of two vintage  to Antique Japanese folk craft items, featuring a woven bamboo basket and a small lacquered paper-based tea caddy.

The bamboo basket has an elongated oval form and is finely woven with a diagonal pattern. This type of small basket was traditionally used as a practical container for carrying food, such as rice balls, during travel, farming, or daily outdoor work. It has a deep reddish-brown patina and includes an old natural tying cord, giving it a warm mingei folk-craft character.

The small cylindrical tea caddy is made from a lightweight paper-based body, similar to lacquered papier-mâché or Ikkanbari-style craftwork. The surface has a rich mottled reddish-brown and dark brown finish, likely treated with lacquer or persimmon tannin. Although it has a leather-like aged texture, the worn areas reveal a fibrous paper-like ground beneath the coating.

Together, these pieces have a rustic and well-used appearance, making them suitable for collectors of Japanese mingei, folk craft, tea-related objects, bamboo work, or old rural household items.

Size Approx.:
Total weight: 120 g / 0.26 lbs

Bamboo Basket:
Width: 20.0 cm / 7.87 in
Depth: 7.0 cm / 2.76 in
Height: 7.0 cm / 2.76 in

Tea Caddy:
Height: 7.0 cm / 2.76 in
Diameter: 5.3 cm / 2.09 in

Condition:
Both items show signs of age and use. The bamboo basket has minor wear, small irregularities, and natural variations in the bamboo, but it remains displayable. The tea caddy shows surface scratches, abrasions, peeling and losses to the coating, edge wear, small holes, and an aged patina revealing the underlying paper-like material in places. Please check the photos carefully for details.