Sakai traditional blades are hammer-forged knives produced in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka prefecture. To achieve both strength and cutting quality, this craft is made by combining soft iron and steel. This craft is forged to have a sharp…

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Osaka naniwa pewterware (called Osaka naniwa suzuki in Japanese) is a metalwork produced in and around the city of Osaka, Osaka prefecture. In the past, tin mined in Japan was used, but today it is imported mainly from Thailand and Indonesia. This…

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Banshu Miki Uchihamono are metalwork produced around Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture. Banshu Miki Uchihamono, as well as Shinshu Uchihamono and Tosa Uchihamono, are all renowned as large craft production centers of blades in Japan using a mold forging…

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Kyo-ishi craft refers to stonework and precious stonework produced in and around the cities of Kyoto and Uji, in the Kyoto prefecture. Abounding in quality granite from the village of Kitashirakawa at the foot of Mt. Hiei, this well-endowed enviro…

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Makabe ishidoro is the Japanese name for Makabe stone lantern. It is a stone lantern produced around the town of Makabe in the Ibaraki prefecture. This traditional craftwork was founded during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). However the stone in…

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Okazaki stonemasonry is stone crafts including stone carved lanterns produced in the area around the city of Okazaki in the Aichi prefecture. It is made using traditional masonry skills that were found and developed in the late years of the Muroma…

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Izumo stone lantern is stone lanterns produced in the city of Sakai Minato in the Tottori prefecture, and in the cities of Matsue and Izumo in the Shimane prefecture. They are made of Kimachi stone, fine-grained tuffaceous sandstone quarried from …

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