Location: Osaka
History: in the middle of the Edo era (1600 - 1868)
There is a Sakai knife for almost every use, as evidenced by the fact that most Japanese chefs have one. Their main feature is their well-grounded edges.

Location: Tochigi
History: around the middle of the 19th century
Mashiko Yaki has many devoted fans with its gentle luster born from the union of glazing techniques and Mashiko clay, which is quite traditional. A wide variety of crockery is produced alongside items including flower vases by 320 firms employing 338 people.

Location: Aichi
History: the beginning of the 18th century
People who make Onigawara Crafts are known as onishi or oniitashi. In addition to the traditional types with gargoyles and family crests, the Onigawara craft extends to other products including small ornaments for interior design and outdoor decorations.

Location: Ishikawa
History: the second half of the 16th century
Pieces made using traditional kashoku-biki techniques to carve exceptionally fine grooves (sensuji) or inlays (zogan) are highly valued. Yamanaka lacquerware is characterized by taka-maki-e, an embossed gilt lacquerwork in which the lacquered portion is raised.

Location: Miyagi
History: in the middle of the Edo era (1600-1868)
Miyagi kokeshi dolls have a simple yet beautiful form that consists of only a head and body. Their sweet, innocent expression reflects the spirit of the artisans who produce them in mountain villages surrounded by the vastness of nature.

Location: Gifu Prefecture
History: Gifu in the mid-18th century
Gifu chochin are said to have been made in Gifu in the mid-18th century, and developed because the raw materials, Japanese paper and bamboo, were abundant nearby.

Location: Osaka Prefecture
History: during the Meiji period
Naniwa Honzome is a dyeing method unique to Japan that was developed in Osaka during the Meiji period for the purpose of mass producing patterned hand towels.

Location: Fukuoka
History: the beginning of the 19th century
Kasuri indicates a kind of textile that has its threads dyed beforehand. The threads are dyed by ikat techniques and woven to produce elaborate designs. Their simple texture is widely used in kimonos, accessories and interiors.

Location: Ibaraki Tochigi
History: the Nara period (710-794)
Yuki pongee textiles are the prime representative of the kasadaka seni textile style, in which thousands of threads are hand-pulled from silk floss, each a slightly different length, and woven into fabric without any twisting of the threads.

Location: Niigata
History: the end of the 19th century
The fabric pattern of Toukamachi Akashi Chijimi is produced in exactly the same method as Tokamachi Ikat fabrics.

Location: Kumamoto
History: the mid-17th century
Originally made as votive offerings, Yamaga lanterns are now also used as souvenirs, ornaments and interior design decorations.

Location: Okinawa
History: the Ryukyu Kingdom
Sanshin manufacture demands delicate craftsmanship. It’s not uncommon to spend several decades creating a single instrument, starting with the selection of the type of wood to be used.