Lattice work seen in tea ceremony rooms finally gets to see the city streets.

Japan is often viewed as a glorious amalgamation of the old and the new, where hoodies are designed to look like traditional kimono and ukiyo-e prints feature Star Wars characters.

This restyling of old traditions is something that recently inspired one talented Japanese student to realise his own take on “Modern Japan” by building the bicycle of his dreams.

Setting it as an end-goal for his graduation project, Enji, who goes by @enjiblossomlily online, says he has now fulfilled his task of “melding a bicycle with a traditional craft”, and the result is this spectacular two-wheeler below.

The handcrafted bicycle has been carefully thought-out from concept to finish, with the saddle, handlebars, tyres and frame all designed to complement the star of the creation that sits in the middle of the piece: the lattice panel.

Lattice work like this is known as “kitsuregoshi” in Japan. This centuries-old woodworking craft can be seen on sliding door panels in traditional Japanese rooms, and on walls beneath the roofs of shrine buildings.

▼ Some examples of kitsuregoshi

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrdHcg7gYQB/

▼ Enji has taken inspiration from the word kitsuregoshi, naming his bicycle “Kitsure“, the “Traditional Japan Bicycle“

https://twitter.com/enjiblossomlily/status/1227066500567072768

Enji says the lattice panel can be popped out like a shoji sliding door, so it’s possible for a different design to be mounted in its place in future.

And it’s not just the lattice section that’s impressive, as the entire frame of the bicycle was also made from scratch and melded together to make his vision a reality.

▼ Video of the bicycle in action on the streets of Tokyo’s historical Asakusa district.

https://twitter.com/enjiblossomlily/status/1227078008743198721

As soon as Enji shared images of the bicycle on his Twitter account, the tweet instantly went viral, earning over 13,000 retweets and more than 73,000 likes in just one day.

https://twitter.com/enjiblossomlily/status/1226910320632856580

People were quick to heap praise on Enji for his remarkable concept, leaving comments like:

“This is so cool!!!!!! Riding this bike would definitely turn heads wherever you go!”
“You could fit a tablet in that section with moving images to really make jaws drop.”
“It looks just like the lattice work you’d see in a high-class tea ceremony room.”
“I can imagine [American architect] Frank Lloyd Wright would’ve loved a bike like this!”
“Omg this is so unique, I desperately want to buy one!”

While Enji is yet to let everyone know whether he’ll be working towards commercialising the Kitsure in future, there is one way we can see it for now, as the bicycle will be on display at his college’s exhibition for graduating students. Enji is a graduating student at Tokyo College of Cycle Design, a vocational school located in the city’s Shibuya Ward where students study the design, maintenance and building of bicycles.

With Japan recently championing innovative designs like the Walking Bicycle Club, we can only hope Enji’s Kiture will soon become available in stores. We’d love to see these bikes make their way en masse to the streets of Tokyo or Kyoto!

Exhibition Information
Sotsugyo Seisaku Tenjikai 2020 / 卒業制作展示会2020
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Minami Aoyama 5-6-23, Spiral Aoyama
スパイラル青山 東京都港区南青山5-6-23
Open 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (until 6:00 p.m. on 3 March)
Exhibition runs from 1-3 March
Spiral Website

Source: Twitter/@enjiblossomlily
Featured image: Twitter/@enjiblossomlily
Insert images: Twitter/@enjiblossomlily (1, 2)
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