Tohoku, Woven textiles and more
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Nishijin brocade Nishijin ori
- Woven textiles
- Kyoto
Nishijin brocade (called Nishijin ori in Japanese) is woven silk produced in the northwestern part of Kyoto. Kamigyo ward and Kita ward cover this area of Kyoto today, but this area is called Nishijin. According to official rules, only the brocade…
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Ojiya chijimi textiles Ojiya chijimi
- Woven textiles
- Niigata
Ojiya chijimi textiles (called Ojiya chijimi in Japanese) is a handicraft produced from ramie in the area around the city of Ojiya in Niigata prefecture. Ramie is a tall plant of the nettle family that has been used to make cloth for centuries. R…
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Tsugaru lacquerware Tsugaru nuri
- Lacquerware
- Aomori
Tsugaru lacquerware (called tsugaru nuri in Japanese) is produced around the city of Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture. Lacquerware has been produced in this region since the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), but it began to be called Tsugaru lacq…
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Aizu lacquerware Aizu nuri
- Lacquerware
- Fukushima
Aizu lacquerware (called Aizu nuri in Japanese) is lacquerware made in the Aizu region of Fukushima prefecture. During the manufacturing process, the craft is classified into round pieces, such as bowls, and flat pieces such as trays or stationery…
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Chichibu-meisen silk Chichibu meisen
- Woven textiles
- Saitama
Chichibu-meisen silk is a textile produced in the city of Chichibu, Saitama prefecture. It is a plain-woven textile with both sides dyed equally because the threads will be stencil dyed. Since the textile is double-sided, it can be washed and rema…
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Kawatsura lacquerware Kawatsura shikki
- Lacquerware
- Akita
Kawatsura lacquerware (called Kawatsura shikki in Japanese) is produced in the town of Kawatsura in the southern part of Akita prefecture. Everyday use items like bowls and trays have been produced here for a long time. Kawatsura lacquerware has e…
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Joboji lacquerware Joboji nuri
- Lacquerware
- Iwate
Joboji lacquerware (called Joboji nuri in Japanese) is produced in the town of Joboji in Iwate prefecture. More than 98% of the lacquer used in Japan is imported from China or other countries. The Joboji area is known as the leading producer of do…
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Hidehira lacquerware Hidehira nuri
- Lacquerware
- Iwate
Hidehira lacquerware (called Hidehira-nuri in Japanese) is produced in the area around the town of Hiraizumi, in Iwate prefecture. The defining feature of Hidehira lacquerware is the use of gold leaf produced in the area around Hiraizumi, which re…
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Iwatsuki doll Iwatsuki ningyo
- Dolls, kokeshi
- Saitama
Iwatsuki doll (called Iwatsuki ningyo in Japanese) is a type of doll made in Iwatsuki ward, Saitama prefecture. This doll is known for its round face with big eyes, smooth and beautiful skin, and shiny human-like hair. The white skin comes from a …
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Kyo doll Kyo ningyo
- Dolls, kokeshi
- Kyoto
Kyo dolls (called Kyo ningyo in Japanese) are produced in the city of Kyoto and its surrounding areas in Kyoto prefecture. They are made by several different artisans with their specialized expertise. There are doll head artisans as well as those …
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Miyako ramie textile Miyako jofu
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Miyako jofu is a textile produced on the island of Miyakojima, Okinawa prefecture. It is woven from a fabric called ramie and dyed with Ryukyu indigo, a type of indigo native to Okinawa. This textile has a fine kasuri pattern* and a smooth and lu…
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Ryukyu lacquerware Ryukyu shikki
- Lacquerware
- Okinawa
Ryukyu lacquerware (called Ryukyu shikki in Japanese) is produced in Okinawa prefecture. Lacquerware techniques imported from China were well-adapted during the development of Ryukyu lacquerware unique to Okinawa. The technology and artistry invol…
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Shiozawa tsumugi silk Shiozawa tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Niigata
Shiozawa tsumugi is a silk textile produced in the former town of Shiozawa (now a part of the city of Minamiuonuma), Niigata prefecture. The area is known for its heavy snowfall and wet winter climate which are ideal for weaving. Echigo jofu, a fa…
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Kumejima tsumugi silk Kumejima tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Kumejima tsumugi silk is a textile produced on the island of Kumejima, Okinawa prefecture. The history of this craft goes back all the way to the Muromachi period (1336-1573). This textile is distinct because of its elegant texture and deep color …
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Omi ramie cloth Omi jofu
- Woven textiles
- Shiga
Omi jofu is a textile produced in the region surrounding the town of Koto in Shiga prefecture. It is made with handwoven ramie threads. This craft has chic kasuri* or ikat patterns and a refreshing texture from being woven with fine ramie threads.…
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Ryukyu traditional resist-dyed textiles Ryukyu kasuri
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Ryukyu kasuri is a textile made in Okinawa prefecture. It is made mostly from silk and dyed with both plant and synthetic dyes using a kasuri* or resist-dyeing technique. This craft features over six hundred different kinds of patterns inspired by…
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Hida-shunkei lacquerware Hida shunkei
- Lacquerware
- Gifu
Hida-shunkei lacquerware is produced around the city of Takayama in Gifu prefecture. The name is said to come from the fact that the articles produced initially had a similar coloring to Hishunkei tea containers. This craft is notable for having …
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Kishu lacquerware Kishu shikki
- Lacquerware
- Wakayama
Kishu lacquerware, also known as kuroe-nuri, is produced around the Kuro-e region northwest of the city of Kainan, Wakayama prefecture. This craft is simple, durable, and practical and has been popular as a household good since the Edo period (160…
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Chibana-hanaori textiles Chibana hanaori
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Chibana hanaori is a textile produced in Chibana, Okinawa, Okinawa prefecture. It has flowery patterns woven in the base textile as well as a continuous geometric pattern. This kind of textile with a continuous geometric pattern is called mon orim…
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Hon-shiozawa silk Hon shiozawa
- Woven textiles
- Niigata
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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Kyo laquerware Kyo shikki
- Lacquerware
- Kyoto
Kyo lacquerware (called Kyo shikki in Japanese) is produced in the Kyoto area. Since it developed at the same time as the tea ceremony culture, this craft possesses a wabi-sabi* quality. Kyo lacquerware has a thinner and more delicate wood grain t…
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Oitama tsumugi silk Oitama tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Yamagata
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 silk Ojiya tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Niigata
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 cotton cloth Yaeyama minsa
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
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 ramie cloth Yaeyama jofu
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
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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Naruko lacquerware Naruko shikki
- Lacquerware
- Miyagi
Naruko lacquerware (called Naruko shikki in Japanese) is a form of lacquerware produced around the city of Osaki, Miyagi prefecture. Lacquerware is a craft coating layers of lacquer on wooden tableware and other utensils. Lacquerware is produced i…
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Niigata lacquerware Niigata shikki
- Lacquerware
- Niigata
Niigata Lacquerware (called Niigata Shikki in Japanese) is a form of lacquerware produced in the area around the city of Niigata, Niigata prefecture. This craft has various coating techniques such as hana-nuri, ishime-nuri, nishiki-nuri, isokusa-n…
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Osaka Buddhist altar Osaka butsudan
- Household Buddhist altars
- Osaka
Osaka Buddhist altars (called Osaka butsudan in Japanese) are produced in the cities of Osaka, Yao, Higashiosaka, Sakai, and Kishiwada in Osaka prefecture. Along with the standard lacquer-painted, gold-leafed altars, this region is also known for …
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Shuri brocade Shuri ori
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
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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Yomitanzan-hanaori textiles Yomitanzan hanaori
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
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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