Japanese bamboo craft experts come to Cornwall to demonstrate art

Trebah Gardens sits in a steep valley running down to the Helford River.

It’s a haven for tropical and subtropical plants like magnolias, gunnera and palm trees – and for thick stands of giant bamboo.

Craftsman Akihiro Mashimo, 48, from Kyoto was pleased to find the flexible canes he needed.

He said: “I have been searching for that kind of bamboo on this trip. My goal this time was to find something similar to the Japanese type in the UK which is why I came here to Cornwall.”

Alongside him, apprentice Yoshika Yakabe, 24, was helping transform the canes into fence panels and pieces of art.

“In Japan it is common to make things out of bamboo. It is quite flexible and can bend so it’s well suited to make things like this, so I have got a lot of images in my mind already,’ she said.