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Iwayado traditional chest Iwayado tansu
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Iwate
Iwayado tansu is a traditional woodwork made in the cities of Oshu and Morioka, Iwate prefecture. Tansu means chest of drawers. In addition to clothing or organization chests, daily use items like tea cabinets, book shelves, and low tables are mad…
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Kaba cherrybark woodcrafts Kaba zaiku
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Akita
Kaba cherrybark woodcrafts (called Kaba zaiku in Japanese) are a type of wood bark craft produced in the former town of Kakunodate, Akita prefecture. While the character for kaba means birch, for this context the word refers to the bark of wild ch…
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Odate bentwood Odate mage wappa
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Akita
Odate mage-wappa is a bentwood craft produced all over the city of Odate, Akita prefecture. This craft is well-known both domestically and abroad for having a beautiful curved shape and being lightweight. The key feature of Odate bentwood is the b…
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Boshu uchiwa fans Boshu uchiwa
- Other crafts
- Chiba
Boshu uchiwa is a type of fan made in the areas around the cities of Tateyama and Minamiboso in Chiba prefecture. This is one of Japan’s big three uchiwa types, with the other two being Marugame (Kagawa prefecture) and Kyo uchiwa (Kyoto prefecture…
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Gifu lanterns Gifu chochin
- Other crafts
- Gifu
Gifu lanterns (called Gifu chochin in Japanese) are produced in the city of Gifu, Gifu prefecture and have a history of over three hundred years. In 1995, their high level of craftsmanship was recognized with a designation as a National Traditiona…
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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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Ichii woodcarvings Ichii itto bori
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Gifu
Ichii woodcarvings (called Ichii itto bori in Japanese) are produced in the Hida region of Gifu prefecture, and made only from the wood of ichii (Japanese yew), the prefectural tree of Gifu. The ichii tree gets its name from a scepter made of Japa…
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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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Tendo Japanese chess pieces Tendo shogi koma
- Other crafts
- Yamagata
Tendo Japanese chess pieces (called Tendo shogi koma in Japanese) are made in the cities of Tendo, Yamagata, and Murayama in Yamagata prefecture. Production is thought to have begun in Tendo back during the Edo period (1603-1868) and now the city …
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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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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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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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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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Honba oshima tsumugi silk Honba oshima tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Kagoshima
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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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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Okuaizu Basketry Oku aizu amikumi zaiku
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Fukushima
Okuaizu Basketry, called Okuaizu Amikumi Zaiku in Japanese, is basketry produced around Mishima Town, Onuma County, Fukushima Prefecture. As this mountainous area in the Okuaizu region has much snow and farmers are unable to work in the fields in …
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Uetsu tilia bark cloth Uetsu shinafu
- Woven textiles
- Yamagata
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 fly-fishing flies Banshu kebari
- Other crafts
- Hyogo
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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Katsuyama bamboo crafts Katsuyama take zaiku
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Okayama
Katsuyama Take Zaiku are bamboo baskets produced in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture. Bamboo ware products are made in many areas across Japan from a variety of bamboos such as thick stemmed bamboo and black bamboo. However, Japanese timber bamboo …
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Toyooka wicker crafts Toyooka kiryu zaiku
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Hyogo
Toyooka Wicker Crafts, called Toyooka Kiryu Zaiku in Japanese, is wickerwork produced around Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. The origins of the craft are found in the baskets woven from Salix koriyanagi, a species of willow naturally growing in th…
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Akita cedar tubs and barrels Akita sugi oke taru
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Akita
Akita-sugi Oke Taru are handmade Akita cedar tubs and barrels produced from locally grown cedar timber in the cities of Odate and Noshiro of Akita Prefecture since around the late Heian period (11th century). Products made of straight grain wood w…
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Kijoka banana fiber cloth Kijoka no bashofu
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
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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Yonaguni brocade Yonaguni ori
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Yonaguni Brocade, called Yonaguni Ori in Japanese, is a textile produced in Yonaguni-cho, Yaeyama Gun, Okinawa Prefecture. The characteristic of Yonaguni Ori is the simple beauty of the textile that is dyed and woven by hand in the distinctive cli…
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Yuntanza minsa Yomitanzan minsa
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Yuntanza Minsa is a textile produced in the region around Yomitanson, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa prefecture. Min means "cotton" and sa means "narrow belt". Narrow belts were made in various regions in Okinawa from ancient times. Bas…
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Flower pattern textiles Haebaru hanaori
- Woven textiles
- Okinawa
Haebaru flower patterned textiles called Haebaru Hanaori in Japanese, are made in the city of Haebaru in the Okinawa Prefecture. Plants harvested in the prefecture such as garcinia or Assam indigo are used to dye the yarns. Haebaru Hanaori can be …
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Gifu Japanese Umbrellas Gifu Wagasa
- Other crafts
- Gifu
Japanese umbrellas are not only used on rainy days or as parasols, but there are also umbrellas used for dancing and larger parasols called nodategasa used for outdoor tea ceremonies. They become very slim and delicate when they are closed, and t…
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Oku-Aizu Showa Karamushi Textiles Okuaizu showa karamushi ori
- Woven textiles
- Fukushima
Oku-Aizu Showa Karamushi Textiles (Oku-Aizu Karamushi Ori in Japanese) are a textile fabric produced in Showa Village of Ohnuma, Fukushima Prefecture. It is made from ramie, which is an urticaceous plant also known as China grass. Fine hemp cloth …
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Sanshin Sanshin
- Other crafts
- Okinawa
Sanshin is a musical instrument produced around Naha of Okinawa prefecture. It is used for Kumiodori, which is a theatrical art listed on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Ryukyu opera, Okinawa&…
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