1. Boil the bamboo to extract oil and dust

6.Peeling the Bamboo

Once the split in the bamboo is sufficiently long, the bamboo is peeled. This procedure also requires balanced strength. The bamboo closer to the surface skin is harder and stronger so the artisan can make the skin thinner. He will slide the knife down so that the bamboo is peeled to a 6:4 ratio. The sharp edge of the knife is only used to make the first crack in the bamboo. The rest of the procedure is carried out by using the metal clasp on the handle of the knife to gradually extend the crack deeper. In fact, you can even just use your fingers to split the bamboo apart.
Strength is required at bamboo joints, where the artisan must gain momentum and then pull the knife towards himself at the joint. Most of the injuries during bamboo artwork happen during this process. Some bamboo reeds may be difficult to peel or may break in half at the joint. When it breaks, the artisan will end up stabbing his left hand with the knife. Mr. Takae stills has a a scar on his hand from when he first started working with bamboo. 

7.Adjusting the Width

Bamboo is stronger than it seems. The reason bamboo was used to make rulers was because it's lightweight and not easily deformed. After the bamboo is thinned down to below 1mm, it's soaked in water to soften. The sharp side will crack instantly if it's dry. The artisan then stabs two knives into a ginkgo tree and pulls the higos through the space between them one by one. The distance of the two knives will determine the width of the higo. If you want a 3mm higo, you set the knives 3.1mm apart. The angle of the knives, the direction the artisan pulls the higo and the sharpness of the knives are the three major factors that determines the width. It may sound extremely difficult, but the actual procedure is just an involuntary movement that's burnt into the artisans body. The knives are first nailed into the tree with a bamboo cutting knife. IF the artisan pulls through the first higo and think it's too wide, he then pushes in the knife a little deeper. In the picture above, the strand in the middle that is spreading sideways is the higo. The two knives are standing in the middle and the extra material is getting scraped off.
Most of the time, the procedure is done in a cross-legged position which can cause pain in the lower-back if the artisan works for an extended time. Lower-back pain is one of the occupational hazards of the bamboo artisan.