Hon-shiozawa is a textile produced in the former town of Shiozawa (now a part of the city of Minamiuonuma), Niigata prefecture. It is one of the textiles that represent the region, which is famous for linen and silk textile production. This craft …

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Nagoya yuzen is a cloth that is dyed and painted through a range of traditional techniques that are unique to the city of Nagoya, Aichi prefecture. The designs used for this craft range from monochromatic, color gradation, or classical motifs, but…

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Oitama tsumugi is a silk fabric produced in the Yonezawa, Hakutaka and Nagai regions of Oitama in southern Yamagata prefecture. The area was well-known for producing and exporting ramie, a tall plant of the nettle family that has been used to make…

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Ojiya tsumugi is a silk fabric produced in the area around Ojiya, Niigata prefecture, which is a city known for heavy snow. Echigo jofu, a textile made of ramie, has been produced in this area for over a thousand years. As new weaving techniques …

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Yaeyama minsa is a fabric produced in the town of Taketomi, Yaeyama district and the city of Ishigaki, Okinawa prefecture. The origin of this craft is not clear but it is thought that the kasuri belt was brought to Okinawa from Afghanistan via Chi…

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Yaeyama jofu is a fabric produced in the area surrounding Yaeyama ward in Ishigaki city, Okinawa prefecture. This textile is woven with hand-spun ramie threads and used to be produced as a tax to the Ryukyu Kingdom (present day Okinawa) in ancient…

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Honba Oshima Tsumugi is a fabric made on the island of Amami, Kagoshima prefecture. It is one hundred percent plain silk that has been dyed and made on handlooms like shime-bata or te-bata. This textile has deep, muted tones as it is dyed with ye…

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Shinshu tsumugi is a type of silk fabric also known as pongee and produced throughout Nagano prefecture. Each region in the prefecture has their own production styles and techniques. Also, the specific name of this fabric differs depending on the …

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Shuri brocade (called Shuri ori in Japanese) is a woven fabric produced on the main island of Okinawa. There are two types of fabric, kasuri orimono and mon orimono, and these include hanaui, hanakura ori, doton ori, kasuri and minsa. The Ryukyu …

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Tama brocade (called Tama ori in Japanese) is a woven silk fabric produced around Hachioji, Tokyo. Since ancient times, Tama ori has been well-known under the name of Hachioji woven fabric. The following five different types of woven fabric are …

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Yame Lanterns (called Yame Chochin in Japanese) are a type of lantern craft produced in the region around Yame, Fukuoka prefecture. This craft has a bamboo frame and a fire box with beautifully painted flowers, birds, and plants. The bamboo frame …

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Yomitanzan hanaori is a textile produced in the village of Yomitan, Okinawa. The threads of this craft are first dyed before being woven in a geometric, flowerlike design. This craft is woven with silk or cotton threads dyed with plant-based dyes …

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Kyo Komon are fine-patterned textiles produced in Kyoto prefecture. Kyoto, a historical center of dyed textiles, is renowned for its superb fabrics resulting from exceptional dyeing and stencil making. This craft has beautifully elegant colored pa…

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Owari Cloisonné (called Owari Shippo in Japanese) is a type of enamelware, produced in Ama and Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, that is decorated with vibrant colorful designs often depicting natural scenery or the beauty of nature. The name shippo refer…

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Fukuyama koto is a Japanese harp, koto, produced in Fukuyama, Hiroshima prefecture. Most of the koto produced in Japan are made in Fukuyama, which is where the coastal view of the city inspired one of the most well-known koto songs, Haru no Umi (S…

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Isesaki Kasuri is a type of woven fabric produced in Isesaki, Gunma prefecture. Mainly used for kimono, this fabric has been admired for its texture since ancient times. Today, neckties and shop curtains called noren in Japanese are also produced.…

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Arimatsu Narumi Shibori is a tie-dye fabric produced in the area surrounding Nagoya, Aichi prefecture. Many of the tie-dye products in Japan are produced here. The tie-dye products are designated as a traditional national craft. Arimatsu Narumi Sh…

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Honba Island Silk (called Honba Kihachijo in Japanese) is produced on Hachijojima Island in Tokyo. The name of this craft derives from a silk fabric with stripe and check patterns mainly dyed in bright yellow called kihachi. Patterns mainly dyed i…

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Kyoto Art Mountings, called Kyo Hyogu in Japanese,are mountings done in Kyoto prefecture. Hyogu or hyoso is a traditional technique to strengthen and preserve calligraphy works, paintings and the like with paper or cloth and adding decorations to …

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Nibutani Bark Cloth (called Nibutani-attushi in Japanese) is a bark fiber fabric produced in the region surrounding the the town of Biratori, Hokkaido. The term Nibutani originates from niputai which is an Ainu (indigenous people of north Japan) l…

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Ryukyu Bingata is a dyed and woven textile produced around Shuri, Okinawa prefecture. Its origin goes back to the 14th to 15th century. The ladies of the royal family or the families of the warrior class wore Ryukyu Bingata. There are two kinds of…

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Uetsu Shinafu is a textile produced in the area of Sekikawa, Tsuruoka, Yamagata prefecture, and Sanpoku, Murakami, Niigata prefecture. The names of the neighboring prefectures of Yamagata (Uzen) and Niigata (Echigo) are combined and called Uetsu, …

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Banshu Kebari are fishing flies used as artificial-bait hooks for fishing, produced in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. They are characterized by their exquisitely fine workmanship; bird feathers wound with silk thread around a small 1cm hook, ad…

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Techniques for woodblock prints were developed and refined during the Edo period (1603-1868), and Edo Woodblock Prints called Edo Mokuhanga in Japanese, contributed to spreading beautiful printed art forms such as ukiyoe (a genre of Japanese art).…

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Awa Shoai Shijira Ori is a cotton textile produced in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture. Shijira Ori had been produced in Awa since the 18th century, and the Shijira Ori dyed with Awa indigo was referred to as Awa Shoai Shijira Ori. It was desi…

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Kijoka no Bashofu are a woven cloth produced in Kijoka, Ogimi Village in northern Okinawa. Bashofu is made from the fibers of the Japanese banana plant called Basho, and has been used to make kimonos in Okinawa since ancient times. Kijoka no Basho…

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Tokamachi Gasuri is a fabric produced in Tokamachi City and around Tsunanmachi in Nakauonuma, Niigata Prefecture. This area has heavy snow in the winter and is in a basin, so the climate and geographical features are all suitable for fabric produc…

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Tokyo Tegaki Yuzen are kimono textiles produced in Shinjuku Ward, Nerima Ward and Nakano Ward, Tokyo. Having been produced in the townsmen culture of Edo (current Tokyo), a refined stylishness is expressed in its soft, subdued colors. Unlike other…

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Kyo Kanoko Shibori is a dyed textile produced in Kyoto Prefecture. Shibori is one of the tie-dye techniques that create patterns by tying the textile before dyeing so that the tied parts remain white. This particular Shibori resembles fawn spots a…

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Nagoya Kuromontsuki Zome is a dyed and woven textile produced in the region surrounding Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. Kuromontsuki is a kimono worn at weddings or funerals and it has been popular since the Edo period (1603 - 1868) in Nagoya among…

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