This volume provides more than just a glimpse into Japanese bamboo basket making, it delves into the intriguing life of Higashi Takesonosai, one of Japan's most accomplished artists. Throughout the span of his life and career, Takesonosai's works were influenced by a variety of people such as his family, friends, mentors, and artists. It is these influences that shape Takesonosai's personality and contributes to his present day success. With a fervor for artwork and painting, but limited resources and opportunity to pursue this passion, Takesonosai resorted to bamboo basket making, a job that would later turn into a lifelong career. Takesonosai's underlying love of art is used as a central theme for the construction of his bamboo baskets. Included in this book are color photographs of Takesonosai's masterpieces, which clearly exhibit his creative ingenuity. Each individually hand crafted basket produced by Takesonosai is a piece of art requiring long hours of labor, skill, and originality. Takesonosai's extraordinary talent and adroit ability to create such artwork transforms this hobby into a much-admired and highly praised profession.