Ohashi Carving

      So you can eat with chopsticks, but can you carve your own pair? The session 2 Kyoto Language and Culture participants discovered that they could! 
      While many of our global navigators have been eating with chopsticks since they were little kids, it wasn’t until week 3 of the Kyoto program that they actually learned how to hand carve the eating utensils from Kitayama cedar wood. 
      First they decided on square or round ohashi (chopsticks). Then they shaved the wood into the desired shape with a special blade. After accomplishing the basic shape, participants used decorating tools to make a design on the wide end of each stick. Once they were satisfied with their designs, participants sanded and oiled their handmade utensils. As a final step, everyone stenciled traditional designs with paint on fabric ohashi cases. 
     After laboring for over two hours, participants felt that their hard work had paid off as they gazed at each other’s handmade creations.