Oguni town is a heavily forested town surrounded by mountain ranges in the Yamagata prefecture of Japan. Since ancient times, the art of vine crafting has been a staple of the community, passed down from generation to generation. 

In the past, these crafts were made as a necessity, but modern advancements with plastics and other materials have caused the practice to become less practical.

Despite this, interest in the craft has grown in recent years, with it becoming the town's representative folk craft in 1983. From then on, those who know it well have been holding "Vine Craft Workshops" every January to keep the practice alive in Oguni Town.

Oguni Vine Crafts are all made from one of four types of vines: akebia, wild grape, actinidia polygama, or walnut. These vines are harvested in the fall before the first snow falls.

Each of the different types of vines behave in different ways when crafting, leaving the choice of which material to use for which project up to the discretion of craftsperson. In this way, practitioners of Oguni Vine Crafts must be keenly aware of the different materials in order to make their crafts with intention.

Though I was not able to travel to Oguni Town to meet a craftsperson or see one work, I can tell through my research that a great level of diligence and practice is required to be capable in this line of crafts. However, those who are capable seem to have the freedom to be creative in their work, resulting in individual artist producing styles all their own. In my eyes, this makes the craft seem an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling one to dedicate oneself to.

- Nolan Kelley