1. Boil the bamboo to extract oil and dust

8.Rounding the Edges

Now the artisan rounds the edges of the width-adjusted higo. As before, he nails two knives into a tree. This time the knives must intersect with the higo. The artisan presses down on the higo with his left hand using a piece of bamboo while pulling upwards with his right, changing the strength applied in order to adjust the depth of the corners. The appearance of a basket will change depending on how round he makes the edges. He must think how much strength to put into it, considering the thickness of the higo. If he doesn't scrape enough from the higo, the basket will become stiff, but if he scrapes off too much, the higo will become bumpy.
Thread-like strands come out from both sides of the bamboo. If the strands aren't the same size, the higo will not come out in an even shape. The artisan puts his heart into the process, pulling each higo one at a time. While rounding the corners of one higo, the artisan is constantly checking the quality of the higo he has already completed. 

9.Suguhiki

The process of evening the thickness of the higo is called "Sugubiki." The artisan adjusts the thickness to either 0.3mm or 0.35mm. The thickness affects more than the width for bamboo crafts. Even a difference of 0.1mm will influence the feel of the bamboo. One must be particularly careful with fine-knit baskets as the mesh might become loose or the basket may end up with a totally different touch.
The artisan places the knives on the suguhiki table and rests a thin piece of bamboo between the table and knives.The amount of space between the knives and table determines the thickness. This process is repeated for each higo in order to make their thickness even. This process is inevitable if the basket requires precision. On the other hand, this process is unnecessary if you want the product to display the strong, natural qualities of bamboo. This process is likely only used in Beppu city. 

10.Weaving the Basket

Finally, you shape the higo into a basket. The artisan tries to display the bamboo's mystique in the flower basket, so he first creates a rough frame and then threads bamboo ropes through the frame to give the basket its character. 

For tightly-knit baskets, the artisan first weaves the bottom of the basket and lets it rest for a day. The next day he tightens the knit, pulls up the strands, and then tightens them again. He then weaves up to the top and tightens the higo again, taking a long stretch of time to ensure the quality of the basket. The artisan will spray water onto the basket so that the higo absorb the water and expand. The knit will loosen when the higo dry, so the artisan will try to estimate this space when making his weave. This process will affect the basket's toughness, durability and look. Significant effort is spent making sure items like bags will not catch on clothes when carried by hand. Firmly made baskets can be used for 30-40 years.