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Unshu abacus Unshu soroban
- Writing tools
- Shimane
Unshu abacuses (called Unshu soroban in Japanese) are produced in the town of Okuizumo, Shimane prefecture. Japanese abacuses are traditional tools that use columns lined with beads that are quickly moved with the fingers to do calculations. They …
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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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Yumihama traditional resist-dyed textiles Yumihama gasuri
- Woven textiles
- Tottori
Yumihama traditional resist-dyed textiles (called Yumihama gasuri in Japanese) is produced near the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori prefecture. The name comes from Yumigahama, which is a curved shore that stretches for more than twenty kilometers (ab…
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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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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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Iwami ware Iwami yaki
- Ceramic
- Shimane
Iwami ware (called Iwami yaki) is a type of pottery produced around the city of Gotsu, Shimane prefecture. Iwami ware is strong, has low water absorbency and is resistant to salt, acid, and alkali which makes it suitable for storing pickled plums …
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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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Ozu traditional Japanese paper Ozu washi
- Traditional Japanese paper
- Ehime
Ozu traditional Japanese paper (called Ozu washi in Japanese) is a handmade paper made in the town of Uchiko, Ehime prefecture. The history of papermaking of Ozu washi dates back to the Heian period (794-1185), and the current style of Ozu washi e…
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Shinshu tsumugi silk Shinshu tsumugi
- Woven textiles
- Nagano
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 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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Iiyama Buddhist altar Iiyama butsudan
- Household Buddhist altars
- Nagano
Iiyama Buddhist Altars, called Iiyama Butsudan in Japanese, are made around the city of Iiyama, Nagano prefecture. Iiyama is known for its people being devout to Buddhism since ancient times, which sustains the tradition of altar production. This …
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Kamo traditional chest Kamo kiri tansu
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Niigata
Kamo Kiri Tansu are chests of drawers made of paulownia wood that are produced in and around the city of Kamo, Niigata prefecture. Today, a majority of all paulownia chests made in Japan are produced in Kamo. This craft can keep clothes safe from …
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Miyagi kokeshi doll Miyagi dento kokeshi
- Dolls, kokeshi
- Miyagi
Miyagi Kokeshi Dolls (called Miyagi Dento Kokeshi in Japanese) are wooden dolls produced in and around the cities of Sendai and Shiraishi, Miyagi prefecture. Categorized based on region into five styles including Naruko kokeshi and Togatta kokeshi…
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Murakami carved lacquerware Murakami kibori tsuishu
- Lacquerware
- Niigata
Murakami Carved Lacquerware (called Murakami Kibori Tsuishu in Japanese) is produced in the area around Murakami, Niigata prefecture. The region, which was formerly the Murakami domain, has been famous for its production of natural lacquer since t…
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Tsubame-tsuiki copperware Tsubame tsuiki doki
- Metal works
- Niigata
Tsubame-tsuiki Copperware (called Tsubame Tsuiki Douki in Japanese) is a type of metalware made on the outskirts of Tsubame, Niigata prefecture. Since the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), kettles and other crafts have been produced from coppe…
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Uchiyama Japanese paper Uchiyama gami
- Traditional Japanese paper
- Nagano
Uchiyama Gami is a type of traditional Japanese paper made in the Oku-shinano region of northern Nagano prefecture. As a region that gets heavy snowfall during the winter, papermaking production developed to provide supplementary income. This craf…
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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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Ryukyu traditional textiles Ryukyu bingata
- Dyed textiles
- Okinawa
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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Shinshu Forged Blades Shinshu uchihamono
- Metal works
- Nagano
Shinshu Forged Blades or Shinshu Uchihamono in Japanese, are metalworks produced around Nagano, Nagano prefecture. As this area was formerly a province called Shinano which was also called Shinshu, these blades are known under the name of "Sh…
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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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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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Echigo-sanjo cutlery Echigo sanjo uchihamono
- Metal works
- Niigata
Echigo-Sanjo Uchihamono are hammer-forged blades produced in Sanjo City, Niigata prefecture. Unlike modern blades made using the stamp pressing and polishing techniques developed after the second world war, these blades are produced by hand-hammer…
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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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Nagiso woodturning Nagiso rokuro zaiku
- Wood, bamboo crafts
- Nagano
Nagiso Rokuro Zaiku are completely handmade woodwork items made in the area around Nagiso Town, Kiso-gun, Nagano Prefecture. This traditional craft originated in the first half of the 18th century and is known for a special skilled manufacturing c…
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