Japanese Rattan Ikebana Basket

A slender square basket with a long, thin handle like a fishing rod.

This ikebana basket is from Japan, and dates to the 20th century. It is bamboo & rattan. Rattan is the flexible stem of a climbing palm, and it can be split, peeled and bent into strips used for binding, rims and handles. A narrow, four-sided vessel with a small rectangular mouth and a tall arched handle, wrapped with knots. The lower body is decorated with a woven diamond pattern in glossy red-brown tones, bound with darker strips at the corners. It is 20.5 inches high and 6.5 in diameter.

All neck and elegance, with a rather short body.