Since around the late Heian period (11th century), handmade Akita cedar tubs and barrels have been produced from locally grown cedar timber in the cities of Odate and Noshiro of Akita Prefecture. Products made of masame (straight grain) wood and w…

View more

Beppu take-zaiku are bamboo crafts produced in the city of Beppu, Oita prefecture mainly from odake bamboo* grown and harvested locally. This craft is entirely handmade and uses a distinctive range of basic weaving techniques. It is also the only …

View more

Echizen Tansu are lacquer coated chests of drawers made in an area around Echizen City and Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture; they are mainly made of Japanese zelkova and paulownia, and decorated with iron fittings. Japanese zelkova, is a hard wood, w…

View more

Edo wazao are fishing rods that are produced in the Kanto region, mainly Tokyo and the prefectures of Chiba and Saitama. This craft is named after the Edo lineage of the craftsmen and not the production area of Edo (now Tokyo). It is made from sev…

View more

Edo sashimono is a type of wood joinery made in Tokyo with hand-cut dovetail joints and without nails. The word sashimono comes from the process of measuring with a monosashi or woodwork ruler. This craft is characterized by its restrained ornamen…

View more

Hakone yosegi zaiku is a form of marquetry produced in the town of Hakone, Kanagawa prefecture, an area renowned for having the most natural environment in Japan. For this reason, there is a rich variety of tree species found on Mt. Hakone. Such a…

View more

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…

View more

Inami woodcarvings (called Inami chokoku in Japanese) are produced in the city of Nanto, Toyama prefecture mainly in the form of transoms*, decorative objects, and single-leaf screens**. They are usually made of Japanese camphor, paulownia, or zel…

View more

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…

View more

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…

View more

KamoKiri Tansu are chests of drawers made of paulownia wood and produced in Kamo city in Niigata prefecture. Today about 70% of all paulownia chests made in Japan come from Kamo. The characteristics of KamoKiri Tansu are that they can keep clothes…

View more

Kasukabe Kiri-tansu (paulownia chests of drawers) are masterpieces of traditional woodwork made in an area around Saitama City and Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture. The paulownia used to make Kasukabe Kiri-tansu has excellent moisture-barrier an…

View more

Katsuyama Take Zaiku are bamboo baskets produced in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture. Bamboo wares are made in many areas across Japan from a variety of bamboos such as mosochiku and hatake; Katsuyama Take Zaiku use madake bamboo growing around Man…

View more

Kishu bamboo fishing rods (called Kishu herazao in Japanese) are produced in the city of Hashimoto, Wakayama prefecture for catching Japanese crucian carp. The bamboos: suzutake, madake, and yadake are cut, left to dry for several years, and only …

View more

Kishu Tansu are masterpieces of traditional woodwork made in an area around Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. Kishu Tansu are so called because the manufacturing technique was established in Kishu, now the current day Wakayama Prefecture. As …

View more

Kyo Sashimono is a type of wood craft produced in Kyoto Prefecture. Sashimono is a collective name for furniture and furnishings assembled with joints, and it is said that over 500 types of products can be created using the various techniques. The…

View more

Matsumoto kagu is a type of Japanese traditional furniture made in the city of Matsumoto in Nagano prefecture and has been produced for over three hundred years, since the Edo period (1603-1868). The Second World War led production of this craft t…

View more

Miyajima Zaiku are wooden articles made in Miyajima Town, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Miyajima Island, one of the Three Great Sights of Japan, has long been regarded as an Island of Gods. More prosaically, Hatsukaichi City is also a co…

View more

Miyakonojo Daikyu are bamboo bows produced in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture. The Miyakonojo City area is known as a place where good quality bamboo grows. In olden times, in addition to the making of bows, the area produced a variety of wea…

View more

Nagiso Rokuro Zaiku are completely handmade woodwork items made in the area around Nagiso Town, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture. This traditional craftwork originated in the first half of the 18th century and is known for a special skilled manufacturi…

View more

Nagoya Kiri Tansu (paulownia chests of drawers) are masterpieces of traditional woodwork made in an area around Kasugai City and Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. Nagoya Kiri Tansu are traditional craftwork originating from when Nagoya Castle was bu…

View more

Nibutani Ita is a carved wooden tray produced in Biratori-cho, Saru County, Hokkaido. The origin of the town name, Biratori-cho, is an Ainu word for a cliff, Pirautouru. The characteristic of Nibutani Ita are its patterns. A spiral pattern called …

View more

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…

View more

Okuaizu Amikumi Zaiku is basketry produced in the Mishima Town area, Onuma County, Fukushima Prefecture. This mountainous area in the Okuaizu region has much snow and during winter farmers are unable to work in the fields; as handwork in the snowy…

View more

Osaka Kongo Sudare are bamboo blinds produced in the cities of Tondabayashi and Kawachi-Nagano in Osaka Prefecture. Tondabayashi City lies at the foot of Mt. Kongo, the highest mountain in Osaka, and good quality madake bamboo growing naturally in…

View more

Osaka Ranma are transoms produced in and around the cities of Osaka, Kishiwada and Suita in Osaka prefecture. In a Japanese house ranma, or transoms are wooden panels attached between the ceilings and the lintels of two adjoining rooms or a room a…

View more

Osaka Karaki Sashimono are wooden articles manufactured in several cities of Osaka Prefecture. Karaki are woods from trees mainly grown in Southeast Asia, and include rosewood, ebony, Chinese quince, and Bombay black wood. Sashimono (joinery) is…

View more

Osaka Senshu Kiri Tansu are wooden chests of drawers made in an area around Kishiwada City and Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. They are made from Paulownia wood, much appreciated for its durability and excellent moisture- and fire-resistant propert…

View more

Sendai tansu is a type of chest of drawers made in the city of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. Usually they are made of Japanese chestnut, cedar, and zelkova wood, and renowned for their highly ornamented iron fittings and three different types of beau…

View more

Suruga bamboo ware (called Suruga take sensuji zaiku in Japanese) is produced in the city of Shizuoka, Shizuoka prefecture. High quality bamboo has grown wild in the basin of the upper reaches of the Abe River in Shizuoka since ancient times. Bamb…

View more