Oke-Ei Katate-oke Wooden Bath Pail

Katate-oke · Yuioke · OKE-EI, Fukagawa, Tokyo

• 01 A single-handled wooden pail — a form that only traditional yuioke techniques can make
• 02 Made solely from akata, the dense red heartwood of old-growth timber, naturally rich in aromatic oils
• 03 Slim German silver hoops — strong, and resistant to rust and discoloration

A single-handled pail, made only by hand

A katate-oke is a single-handled wooden pail. Its form can only be achieved with traditional yuioke techniques — thin wooden staves joined by hand and bound with hoops — so it is almost never found in ordinary shops.

In Japan, the katate-oke is a bath tool. It is used to scoop warm water from the tub and pour it over the body — part of the Japanese custom of rinsing off before stepping into the bath. The wood's natural oils and water resistance suit it to daily use in a wet bathroom, and its mellow fragrance rises with the warmth of the water.

OKE-EI makes it solely from akata, the finest part of high-age timber from Japan's national forests: the red heartwood. Its growth rings are tightly packed and it holds a high proportion of natural oils, which give it antibacterial properties, water resistance, a mellow fragrance, a soft feel to the touch, and the ability to shed water cleanly.

The hoops are German silver, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc long used for cutlery and other tableware. It is strong and resists rust and discoloration. Made slim yet thick, the hoops give the pail a clean, sharp outline — an OKE-EI original.

The pure grain of OKE-EI yuioke

"I believe I am the only person still making these in Tokyo."

OKE-EI has continued the tradition of Edo-style yuioke — Japanese wooden vessels made from joined staves — in Fukagawa, Tokyo, for generations. The fourth-generation craftsman, Eifu Kawamata, is the final master to inherit these techniques at their highest level. In 2025, the techniques he holds were registered as an Intangible Cultural Property (woodworking) of Koto City, Tokyo.

The yuioke technique was established in Japan nearly 700 years ago. Thin wooden staves are arranged and bound with hoops — a form that has remained unchanged for centuries. Polished without paint or coating, the grain reads as something living rather than manufactured. The Fukagawa district where OKE-EI is based was once lined with hundreds of timber merchants; crossing the Eitai Bridge, the smell of wood filled the air. That world is largely gone, but OKE-EI remains.

80 steps, two years, ten years to master each stage

Yuioke-making is one of the most complex traditional crafts in Japan. From log preparation to completion, the process involves approximately 80 steps, and each piece requires at least two years to finish. Mastering every stage takes about ten years — a rarity that speaks to the depth of this skill.

The many tools of yuioke-making

"The essence of traditional yuioke is the joining of wood to wood — a precision that no factory process can replicate."
— Eifu Kawamata, fourth-generation master, OKE-EI