Tobe ware (called Tobe yaki in Japanese) is a form of ceramic ware produced around the town of Tobe in Iyo district of Ehime prefecture. Production begun in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868) and it was registered as a traditional handcraft …

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Ogatsu inkstone (called Ogatsu suzuri in Japanese) is a craft produced in the former town of Ogatsu (now city of Ishinomaki), Miyagi prefecture, where artisans still carefully hand carve and polish every piece. What is unique to Ogatsu inkstone i…

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Sekishu washi is a traditional Japanese paper produced in the Iwami region of Shimane prefecture. As an ancient craft, it has a history of around 1300 years. The name Sekishu is found in writings from the Heian period (794-1185). There is also a s…

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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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Iwami Ware is a form of pottery produced around Gotsu City in Shimane Prefecture. The characteristics of Iwami Ware are its strength and low water absorbency, with a surface that is resistant to salt, acid and alkali. Large water jugs known as ha…

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Naruko Lacquerware is a form of lacquerware produced around the area of Osaki City in Miayazaki Prefecture. Lacquerware refers to handicrafts produced by coating wooden bowls and other items with lacquer. Lacquerware was produced in various places…

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Ozu Washi is a handmade paper made in Uchiko Town, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture. The history of papermaking of Ozu Washi dates back to the Heian period, and the current style of Ozu Washi emerged in the mid-Edo period, and despite a declining workfo…

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Miyagi Dento Kokeshi refers to wooden dolls which are produced in and around Sendai City and Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture. Categorized by region into five styles such as Naruko kokeshi and Toogatsuta kokeshi, Miyagi Dento Kokeshi gained a nat…

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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 …

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Nibutani-attoushi is a bark fiber fabric produced in the region surrounding the Biratori-cho, Saru Ward, Hokkaido. The term Nibutani originated from miputai which is an Ainu (indigenous people of north Japan) word for a place with thick vegetation…

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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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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…

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