Wagasa: Japan’s Paper and Bamboo Umbrella
The wagasa — Japanese traditional umbrella — is an object of considerable craftsmanship: a bamboo frame of up to 40 individually shaped ribs, covered with washi paper treated with persimmon tannin or lacquer to achieve waterproofing, and finished with a lacquered handle. The construction of a single wagasa by hand takes 3–5 days and involves over 100 distinct steps. As a functional object it is largely superseded by the modern vinyl umbrella, but as a design object, a ceremonial prop, and a craft tradition, the wagasa persists as one of Japan’s most refined vernacular arts.
Types of Wagasa
- Bangasa: The standard everyday wagasa, robust and practical. Historically used by merchants, travellers, and ordinary townspeople. The most commonly produced style.
- Janome-gasa: A refined style with a distinctive circular “snake-eye” pattern on the underside — concentric rings of colour (typically indigo and white) visible when the umbrella is opened. Associated with geisha culture and traditional performance.
- Higasa: A parasol for sun protection, typically used at outdoor tea ceremonies and traditional dance performances. Often richly coloured with seasonal motifs.
- Mai-gasa: Dance umbrellas used in classical Japanese dance (Nihon-buyo) and theatrical performance. Designed to be opened, closed, and manipulated as part of the choreography; they must be lightweight and mechanically reliable under repeated use.
- Nodategasa: Large parasols used at outdoor tea ceremony venues to shade the preparation area. Typically plain, uncoloured, and very large.
Gifu: Japan’s Wagasa Capital
Gifu city produces the majority of Japan’s remaining traditional wagasa. At the industry’s peak in the early 20th century, Gifu produced over 3 million umbrellas annually. Today perhaps a dozen specialist workshops remain, producing for the ceremonial, theatrical, and export markets. The Gifu Wagasa Industry Cooperative supports the remaining craftspeople and operates visitor programmes at selected workshops.
The craft faces succession challenges: the skills required — bamboo splitting, rib shaping, paper treatment, and final lacquering — take years to learn, and the number of trained craftspeople is declining. Several Gifu workshops accept apprentices and have begun offering visitor experiences (workshop tours and simple craft participation) as a supplementary income stream and as a way of building awareness of the tradition.
Wagasa in Japanese Culture
The wagasa appears throughout Japanese visual culture. Maiko and geisha in Kyoto’s Gion district are photographed with janome-gasa in the evening rain; the umbrella’s appearance in woodblock prints and photographs is one of Japan’s most reproduced aesthetic images. At outdoor tea ceremonies (nodate) held in public gardens and at major events, the nodategasa parasol identifies the ceremony space from a distance. The umbrella also appears in traditional dance and kabuki theatre — the slow opening of a parasol is a recognisable theatrical gesture in both Nihon-buyo and the less formal matsuri bayashi performance tradition.
Buying Wagasa
Authentic hand-made wagasa are available from specialist shops in Gifu city, at the major Kyoto craft shops in Gion and along Sanjo, and at selected department store art-craft floors in Tokyo and Osaka. Prices for functional quality umbrellas start at ¥15,000–¥30,000; fine janome parasols with custom colouring and lacquer handles range from ¥50,000 to ¥200,000+. A small number of Gifu craftspeople sell directly at their workshops and at craft fairs held in May and November in the city.