The Kano district in southern Gifu is one of the leading production areas of Japanese umbrellas. The techniques to produce Gifu umbrellas have been passed down for generations in this area since the Edo period (1603 - 1868) In the Kano district, which was a prosperous castle town, many samurais made Japanese umbrellas as a side job. Later, the towns people and farmers also became involved in the production, and the working process became divided. In this way, the productivity improved naturally. In the Meiji period (1868 - 1912), it grew as an industry and the industry was at their peak from the Taisho period (1912 - 1926) through the beginning of the Showa period (1926 - 1989).
The Kano district is located close to the production area of Mino Washi (Japanese paper) and near the three Kiso rivers, Kiso River, Nagara River and Ibi River, where high quality bamboo can be collected. Nagara River, which flows into Ise Bay, was also a useful water route. The umbrellas were shipped and sold in Edo (current Tokyo) and Osaka, and eventually became famous all over Japan.
However, as western umbrellas became widely used, the production of Japanese umbrellas decreased. And with the Japanese umbrella artisans' aging and there being less younger people to become umbrella artisans, Gifu umbrella makers have decreased and are now only less than ten. Gifu Japanese umbrellas have now become quite rare and difficult to obtain.