Now to split the 70/80mm bamboo poles for the top and bottom oshibuchi and the kasa-dake top cap.
There is really no easy way of doing this. There are two-handled bamboo splitting tools with the internal divisions set to make 2, 3 or 4 pieces (see photo), but these tend to jam with larger thicknesses. In the end I simply used a sturdy blade (albeit a Japanese one designed for bamboo splitting!) and a mallet. But it was hard work and considerable care needs to be taken to ensure that the split remains centred. Inevitably there was some wastage, but in the end I had enough pieces.
The photo left shows all sections of moulding wired in place. The ends of the oshibuchi were also nailed to the oyabashira such that the nail heads were not very visible.
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