about stick

About Stick

Story "One of the stick".

During the Meiji era, the walking stick and umbrella culture was introduced to Japan by a mission that had been dispatched to the West to study western culture. Members of the Meiji imperial family and business and political elite began using walking sticks. Likewise, at glamorous parties, ladies were seen with thin walking sticks or even elegant ones that had handles decorated with jewelry or ivory. Walking sticks and umbrellas started to be used widely by the general public as well. Walking sticks made using Japanese traditional art and craft techniques, such as ones with gold or silver decorations, ones made of bamboo, and ones coated with Japanese lacquer including maki-e (Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder), which were presented at world expositions overseas, fascinated westerners. This was an era unique to Japan called wakon yōsai, which means collaboration between Japanese spirit and Western knowledge. By the mid-Meiji, there were stores specialized in walking sticks, thus establishing the Japanese walking stick industry whose main products were bamboo walking sticks.

In the following Taisho era and early Showa era, the walking stick culture flourished with the help of romanticism which was popular at the time. A variety of people ranging from literary men and political activists to salarymen and students all enjoyed walking sticks. In addition, many photographs of the time show women called moga (modern girls) dressed elegantly and using walking sticks. The walking stick culture was most prominent during this period.

Later, walking sticks became less popular in Japan as wartime approached. In the post-war period, the Japanese suffered a feeling of spiritual loss due to the war, and thus only a handful of upper-class people used walking sticks. Among them were the diplomat Jiro Shirasu and the then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, who made a particularly strong impression by being dressed in kimono with a Japanese bamboo walking stick in one hand and a cigar in his mouth.

Today, if you use a walking stick, people might think that you have a problem with your legs. In this aging society, most of the walking sticks seen in town are mass-produced practical canes made of aluminum or glass fiber. It is unfortunate that the original concept of the walking stick has changed so greatly.

For your one and only walking stick, choose a truly precious wood. You will come to love the walking stick more as you use it, and it will become your life partner.

Your ultimate walking stick made of truly precious wood ... You will come to love the stick even more as you use it. It will become not only your fashion accessory but also your life partner. Why not give some thought to reviving the walking stick custom?

Here is La Cappo’s proposal: As the Japanese proverb says, “Have a walking stick ready before stumbling” (which means prevention is better than cure). Have confidence, walk with pride, and enjoy a fashionable, fun and healthy life with your walking stick. Develop your own image with a walking stick, a product of excellence that embraces all ages and cultures.

What kind of walking stick would you choose? Why would you choose it? These questions will help you find your own image.

Handle: Japanese persimmon Collar: Gold Shaft: Brazilian rosewood Ferrule: Ivory

Examples of combinations of various handle designs, shafts and ferrules

The Story of Spirit-of-Wood Walking Sticks

Stylish Products of Excellence

Royal road of walking sticks

(with crook handles that require expert craftsmanship)

Large crook Medium crook

Small crook

Materials, handles, shafts

The wood cut from a very old tree (300 years or older) can be divided into the following two categories of grain: figured grain and straight grain. Wood with an aesthetically exquisite grain pattern that developed naturally due to harsh geographical conditions, soil properties, weather conditions, etc. is selected for the handle and the shaft. In producing our walking sticks, we pay careful attention to the optimal balance between the original colors of the wood surface and the beauty of the wood grain so that the users of the sticks can appreciate the material itself.

Our walking sticks are of the highest quality; we use precious woods from around the world for all our walking sticks and we craft our products focusing on every detail. Since they are fully custom-made, our walking sticks can be created from a combination of different materials. We produce a variety of walking sticks ranging from standard ones to very unique ones with silver decorations or jewelry.

Ferrule

La Cappo chooses a quality material from the highest class of ivories or water buffalo horns. In particular, only materials with a beautiful color and gloss at the tip are used in the ferrule part.

◯ Handle grip

◯ Collar (joint metal)

◯ Shaft

◯ Tip/ferrule

(silver, water buffalo horn, ivory, or rubber)

Differences between

the La Cappo walking sticks and

the conventional walking sticks

１　The conventional way to finish a walking stick is to cut the tip to fit the user’s stature and put a rubber cap on it, but this is not how we do it. We will adjust the height of your walking stick at the handle side.

We value all the design details up to the rubber tip.

２　Since we will not cut the tip of your walking stick (except for walking sticks with large crooks), you can choose the material for the ferrule part from rubber, ivory, water buffalo horn and silver, depending on your purpose.

３　We do not have any ready-made products in stock. Our walking sticks are fully custom-made, so we can respond to various requests you may have.

４　For our walking sticks, we only use dry materials that have been conditioned to the Japanese weather for at least 10 years and even 30 to 50 years depending on the product.

５　We do not offer the same products using the same type of natural material or carbon fiber or aluminum products that are widely used nowadays.

６　As we seek nothing less than pure authenticity, you can touch various materials to choose the ones for your own walking stick and we will craft your product based on your preferred specifications all the way to the finish.

７　We will show you all materials in their original form, primarily exquisite woods that are recognized around the world, including those with different origins and histories.

８　All our walking sticks, including those with large crooks and handle grips, can be personalized with your initials engraved on a silver plate. We are sure you will enjoy the company of a walking stick that is uniquely yours.

９　We produce our walking sticks through a single system that addresses all stages from wood-cutting to processing, crafting and sales.

10　Our system is the first of its type in Japan that offers fully custom-made walking sticks to meet your preferences.