Shagzo - The Bhutanese Art Of Wood Turning

In a small workshop somewhere in the hills of Bhutan, a craftsman bends over a spinning lathe. Wood shavings curl away like prayers unspooling, and from a rough lump of burl, a bowl begins to emerge — smooth, symmetrical, alive with the grain of the forest. This is Shagzo, the ancient Bhutanese art of wood turning, and it is as much a part of Bhutan’s cultural identity as Thagzo, the celebrated art of weaving. The master artisans who practise this craft are called Shagzopa, and their work bridges the gap between the functional and the sacred.

The Art and Its Creations

Bhutanese Shagzopa produce an extraordinary range of turned wooden products: bowls called dapa, cups known as dza phob, plates, and containers in a variety of unique shapes, sizes, and colours. The raw materials come from Bhutan’s forests — tashing (Juglans regia, walnut), hashing (Taxus baccata, yew), baashing (Picea spinulosa, spruce), sermaling shing (Acer campbellii, maple), and etometo (Rhododendron arboreum). Each wood lends its own character to the finished piece.

With their expertise, Shagzopa transform special wood burls and tree roots into highly valuable articles that reflect Bhutanese culture in every curve. These pieces serve daily life, make treasured souvenirs for visitors, and — in the case of the finest turned articles — are saved as family heirlooms passed down through generations. Value is measured by the quality of wood, the lacquer finish, uniqueness, size, and colour.

The Sacred Burl — Dza

Dza (or bou) is the Bhutanese term for the abnormal outgrowths or special wooden knots from which the finest articles are shaped. The most prized variety is dza ling choem — a burl so extraordinary that it is believed to emit rays of light during the night and special luminous rays (tak tshen gi yoed) in daylight. The dza phob cups crafted from these burls are said to possess the power to purify poison in food and drink, causing any toxin to boil and flow out of the vessel. Other traditional cup forms include boephor, ga phor, and japhob.

Bowls for Every Occasion

The dapa, or traditional wooden bowl, is far more than a souvenir — it is an essential part of Bhutanese dining. The two halves fit tightly together, serving as containers for food. Bou dapa and dum chem dapa — round bowls with lids — are used traditionally for serving rice, favoured by monastic communities and dignitaries. Tsam deg, a lidded serving bowl, was originally used in northeastern Bhutan to contain roasted wheat and barley flour. Tho ke holds fruit during special occasions, and samden is the bowl for serving snacks. Each form carries its own history and purpose.

The Making — From Forest to Finished Bowl

The process of creating a turned wooden article is a journey of months. Beginning in February or March, roughly curved pieces of wood are soaked in cold water for three months to remove the smell and strengthen the grain. The crude shapes are then dried over fire and left in the sun for about a month. After that, they are boiled in water to straighten them, then left to dry completely in the shade.

Only then does the turning begin. The prepared hardwood is spun on either a traditional manual pedal lathe or a modern electrically operated motor lathe — the latter allowing a Shagzopa to work three times faster. Rather than sandpaper, the coarse leaves of the sogsogm shrub (Tsuga dumosa) are used to smooth the surface — an indigenous technique unchanged for generations.

The Soul of the Craft — Sey Lacquering

The final transformation comes through sey — an indigenous lacquer substance extracted from the se-shing tree (Rhus succedanea) that is, quite literally, the soul of every turned wood article. Sey is applied by thumb in the sunlight, protected from wind (which causes it to dry too quickly). High-quality articles receive at least seven coats of lacquer; medium-quality pieces get four; and basic articles receive three coats — though these will fade with time.

Four types of sey exist: zhosey (considered the finest varnish), tsisey (obtained from the seeds of the se-shing), tsag sey (from the bark), and dzasey. The resulting finish — deep black or rich red — gives Bhutanese wooden articles their distinctive lustre, a glow that deepens with age and use.

The Sacred Drum — Nga

As Bhutan’s cultural heritage is rooted in Buddhist wisdom, drums and drumsticks are essential to rituals performed in every temple, monastery, and home. The traditional Bhutanese drum, called nga, and its drumstick, ngayog, are indispensable instruments. An ancient form of musical offering, the beating of the nga symbolises the subjugation of evil, indicates the fluctuation of tunes and chanted words, and regulates the pace of other instruments during rituals and propitiation ceremonies.

Making a traditional drum requires the combined skills of artisans in wood turning, woodcarving, leather working, and painting — the drum body curved into a cylindrical shape, wooden rims carved, handles fixed, skins attached, and the whole painted with sacred motifs. It is Shagzo at its most collaborative and its most sacred.

To watch a Shagzopa at work is to witness a conversation between human hands and living wood — a dialogue that has continued, generation after generation, for as long as Bhutan’s forests have stood. The bowls and cups that emerge from these workshops are not mere objects. They are vessels that carry the forest, the faith, and the patience of an entire culture.