What is "kabazaiku"

(literally "birch craftsmanship") is the traditional Japanese art of fashioning tea boxes, smoking accessories, and other woodworks out of the bark of a cherry tree.

The name is somewhat misleading, as 樺 (kaba, birch) bark is almost never used in practice. It is believed that the term originally came from the association of white birch or "白樺" with homes in good standing. Thus 樺 may have described the class of artisans rather than the actual materials used. However this is just one of many explanations, with no single explanation widely accepted.