Japanese Umbrellas: What Wagasa Are Made Of and What Kinds Exist

Three Materials, Three Craftsmen: How a Wagasa Is Assembled

Wagasa (和傘) is an umbrella assembled from three materials, and historically a separate craftsman was responsible for each. The frame is made of bamboo: the central shaft and the dozens of thin ribs radiating from the top are all cut from it. The canopy is covered with washi (和紙) — thin but strong Japanese paper that is soaked with vegetable oil. The frame fittings and the handle are often coated with lacquer or persimmon juice (柿渋). A Western umbrella has only a few ribs — usually eight — and it holds its shape by the tension of the fabric stretched between them. A wagasa has several dozen ribs, and the shape is held not by the tension of the canopy but by the springiness of the bamboo itself beneath the thin paper.

Why Oiled Paper Doesn't Get Soaked

• The craftsman soaks the washi with vegetable oil several times — linseed, tung, or perilla oil depending on the workshop — and the paper stops absorbing water while remaining thin and light.
• Raindrops roll off the oiled surface instead of passing through the paper fibers, as happens with an ordinary untreated sheet.
• The part that joins the ribs at the top and at the handle — the rokurо (轆轤) — is cut from egonoki wood (エゴノキ): no other wood works for this role, because it doesn't provide the needed hardness and smoothness of cut.

Janome, Bangasa, and Others: Each Umbrella Has Its Own Job

Wagasa are divided by purpose, and the difference is visible in the canopy pattern. Janome (蛇の目傘) was created in the Genroku period (1688–1704) as an improved version of bangasa: a white circle in the center and a wide colored ring at the edge resemble a snake's eye — hence the name. Bangasa (番傘) is a simple working umbrella with thick bamboo ribs; in shops these were once numbered and rented out, hence the first character 番 — "number." Maigasa (舞傘) is a smaller wagasa for dance and stage performances, not for rain.

The Large Red Umbrella over the Tea Table

Nodategasa (野点傘) is the largest wagasa, bright red: it is set up over a table for an outdoor tea ceremony (野点) to soften direct sunlight and mark the ceremony site from a distance.

Gifu and Kyoto: Where Wagasa Are Made Today

The main center of wagasa production today is Gifu. The craft began here in 1639, when Matsudaira Mitsushige became the new lord of the Kanō domain and brought umbrella craftsmen with him from his former holding in Akashi, in what is now Hyōgo Prefecture. The peak came in the mid-20th century: around 1950, Gifu produced more than ten million umbrellas a year. On March 18, 2022, "Gifu wagasa" received traditional craft status from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Workshops also survive in Kyoto, some operating since the 19th century, but production there is smaller in volume than in Gifu.

Division of Labor: One Umbrella, Dozens of Hands

• Making a wagasa is divided into roughly ten major stages — preparing the frame, pasting the paper, oiling, assembly — and if counted in detail, the operations add up to about a hundred, each usually performed by a separate specialist.
• According to the Gifu Shimbun newspaper for 2022, about ten workshops and around forty people were engaged in the umbrella craft in Gifu — noticeably fewer than in the craft's heyday.
• Craftsmen who cut rokurо are so few in Japan today that this part is made by practically one workshop for the entire country, and the shortage of this very component is the main threat to the craft as a whole.

和傘 and the "Canopy" Character: How to Say "Umbrella" in Japanese

傘 — значение: umbrella, canopy — онъёми: サン — кунъёми: かさ — 12 штрих(ов). 傘 — "umbrella, canopy": the character resembles a diagram of an open umbrella — a central shaft and ribs radiating from it, with the dome of the canopy on top.

Kasa and Yōgasa: An Ordinary Umbrella and a "Western Umbrella"

An ordinary umbrella in Japanese is 傘 (kasa), and the same word is used for wagasa when the context makes clear that a traditional umbrella is meant. When you need to specify a European-style umbrella, you say 洋傘 (yōgasa): 洋 means "foreign, Western" — the same character appears in 洋服 (yōfuku), "Western clothing," and 洋食 (yōshoku), "Western food." It is opposed by 和 "Japanese," and the whole pair is visible in the words 和傘 and 洋傘: a Japanese umbrella and a Western-style umbrella.

Write 傘 along the guides — the character for "umbrella," which itself resembles a diagram of a canopy with ribs.

FAQ

What is a Japanese wagasa umbrella?

Wagasa (和傘) is a traditional Japanese umbrella made from three materials: a bamboo frame, a canopy of oiled washi paper (和紙), and lacquer or persimmon juice on the fittings. Unlike a Western umbrella with eight ribs and a stretched fabric canopy, a wagasa has several dozen bamboo ribs, and the shape is held by the springiness of the bamboo itself.

What are Japanese umbrellas made of?

Three materials: bamboo for the frame and ribs, washi for the canopy, and vegetable oil, with which the paper is soaked several times for water resistance. The frame fittings and the handle are often coated with lacquer, and the part that joins the ribs at the top and the handle is cut from egonoki wood — no other wood works for it.

How does janome differ from bangasa?

Janome (蛇の目傘) is an umbrella with a "snake's eye" pattern: a white circle in the center and a wide colored ring at the edge, created in the late 17th century as an improved bangasa. Bangasa (番傘) is a simpler and rougher working umbrella with thick ribs and no decorative pattern; the name is connected to the fact that such umbrellas were numbered and rented out in shops.

How do you say "umbrella" in Japanese?

An ordinary umbrella is 傘 (kasa), and the same word is used for wagasa when the context makes clear that a traditional umbrella is meant. When you need to specify a Western-style umbrella, you say 洋傘 (yōgasa), while for wagasa itself the full writing 和傘 (wagasa) is used — "Japanese umbrella."

Is it true that a paper Japanese umbrella doesn't get soaked?

Yes, but not because the paper itself is waterproof: the canopy is soaked several times with vegetable oil, and the oiled fibers stop absorbing water while remaining thin and light. It is this treatment, not the thickness of the paper, that distinguishes a wagasa from an ordinary paper umbrella, which would get soaked through in minutes in the rain.

Where are Japanese umbrellas made today?

The main production center is Gifu, where the craft has been practiced since 1639; workshops also survive in Kyoto, though production volume there is smaller. Craftsmen are becoming fewer year by year, especially those who cut the rokurо — the part that joins the ribs: today it is made by practically one workshop for the entire country.

Sources

• Kotobank: dictionary entry 蛇の目傘
• Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square: page on the craft 岐阜和傘
• Gifu Shimbun newspaper: recognition of 岐阜和傘 as a traditional craft
• Kotobank: 和傘