Karube zori

Japanese hand-knitted sandals made from rice straw and bamboo skin
A workshop based in Sagae, Yamagata that inherits traditional Japanese sandal making. The work is done by hand throughout the year, starting from rice planting, harvesting, and collecting bamboo bark, to knot cutting, weaving, sun drying, and pressing. Even now, with less than 1% of its peak, the number of zori sandals is still needed in the world of festivals and performing arts, and while focusing on nurturing young people, we are passing on the tradition to the future.