_Magewappa_ means bent woodware; it's a traditional hand craft of Odate, which is located in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. Straight grained pieces of Akita cedar are bent in circular shapes to form the sides of containers. The bent wood is then fastened with a contrasting dark bark or wood strips.
There's been a resurgence in the popularity of magewappa ware, so it's made around the country, but this box comes from Akita, where I think the craftsmanship is still the best.
