This local craft of Iberaki prefecture reportedly began when a craftsman who had finished his apprenticeship as a broom maker in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, brought broom corn seeds back to Oho Town, Tsukuba County, Ibaraki Prefecture (now Tsukuba City). The crop was widely cultivated beginning in the early Showa era and used for broom-making. Today, most broom grass is imported from Southeast Asia, but traditional craft methods are still used to make tatami room brooms, ceiling brooms, and brushes.