Nagasaki Hizen Hand-Forged Ajikiri Knife: Where to Buy [2026]
A hand-forged ajikiri rooted in Nagasaki's Hizen smithing lineage — a compact single-bevel knife shaped for the horse…
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Editorial features on Japan's regional crafts — the makers, the materials, and the places each piece comes from.
Joshu Hand-Forged Mulberry Sickle (Kama): Gunma Silk-Country Blade [2026]
A hand-forged Japanese mulberry sickle (kama) from Gunma's silk country, where Tomioka's mills and mulberry fields shaped a…
Hita Sugi Fuki-Urushi Cedar Tray: Tenryo Woodcraft of Oita [2026]
A wiped-lacquer (fuki-urushi) serving tray of Hita cedar from Oita, where the urushi sinks into the wood to…
Usa Hachiman Cast Brass Orin Bell: Oita Ritual Metalcraft [2026]
A cast brass orin bell from Oita, rooted in Usa Jingu—head of Japan's 40,000 Hachiman shrines and birthplace…
Tsugaru Brass Koro Incense Burner: Hirosaki Altar Metalcraft [2026]
A cast brass koro incense burner rooted in Hirosaki's Zenrin-gai temple district, where the Tsugaru clan's Zen economy…
Sawara Lacquer Soup Bowl: Chiba’s Little Edo Shiruwan Wood-Urushi Bowl [2026]
A vermilion-and-black urushi soup bowl rooted in Sawara, Chiba's Edo-era 'Little Edo' canal town whose merchant wealth and…
Japanese Bonsai Shears: Omiya Koeda Trimming Scissors, Saitama [2026]
Hand-forged Japanese bonsai shears from Saitama's Omiya tradition — precise koeda-basami built for clean, healing cuts on delicate…
Nagasaki Cast Bronze Candlestick (Shokudai): Obaku Temple Metalwork [2026]
A cast bronze shokudai candlestick in the Chinese-influenced style that Nagasaki's Obaku Zen temples kept alive — born…
Nagasaki Maki-e Lacquer Hand Mirror: Nanban Export Craft [2026]
A maki-e lacquer hand mirror in Nagasaki's Nanban export tradition, where Dejima-era trade fused Japanese urushi with Chinese…
Hagi Cast Iron Furin Wind Chime from Yamaguchi: Where to Buy [2026]
A cast iron furin wind chime from Hagi, Yamaguchi—heir to the castle town's tatara and reverberatory-furnace ironworking, prized…
Awa Tokushima Cast Bronze Orin: Handmade Buddhist Altar Bell Guide [2026]
A hand-cast bronze orin from Tokushima, where Awa butsudan craftsmen and Awa Odori bell-casters refined a clear, long-sustaining…
Saga Hizen Cast Iron Incense Burner (Koro): Where to Buy [2026]
A hand-cast iron koro from Hizen Saga, heir to the Nabeshima domain foundries that cast Japan's first modern…
Iiyama Butsudan Brass Orin Bell: Nagano’s Buddhist Metal Craft [2026]
A hand-finished brass orin bell from Iiyama, Nagano's snow-country temple town, home to the Iiyama Butsudan altar craft…
Aizu Brass Candle Stand (Shokudai) — Tohoku Metal Craft Guide [2026]
A hand-finished brass shokudai from Aizu-Wakamatsu, the castle town of Aizu painted candles. Where to buy this Tohoku…
Sunpu Cast Brass Paperweight (Bunchin) from Shizuoka: Where to Buy [2026]
A cast brass bunchin paperweight from Shizuoka, the Sunpu castle town where Tokugawa Ieyasu commissioned Japan's earliest cast…
Sadowara Ningyo Clay Dolls: Miyazaki’s Shimazu Folk Pottery [2026]
Sadowara Ningyo are hand-painted earthenware folk dolls from a Shimazu castle town in Miyazaki. We sort out the…
Osaka Naniwa Maki-e Lacquer Hand Mirror: Buyer’s Guide [2026]
A hand-decorated maki-e hand mirror from Osaka's Naniwa altar-lacquer lineage—gold urushi flecked onto deep black lacquer, rooted in…
Kunisaki Shittoi Rush-Woven Coaster Set: Oita’s Rare Igusa Craft [2026]
Hand-woven on the Kunisaki Peninsula from shittoi, a triangular rush grown nowhere else in Japan, these durable coasters…
Koyasan Koro: Wakayama Bronze Buddhist Incense Burner [2026]
A cast bronze koro incense burner rooted in the temple metalwork of Mount Koya, Wakayama — the holy…
Kunitomo Hand-Forged Gyuto Knife: Shiga’s Gunsmith Blade Legacy [2026]
A hand-forged gyuto chef's knife from Shiga's Kunitomo, once one of Japan's two great matchlock-gun forges. The same…
Koshu Tenkoku-to Seal Engraving Knife: Yamanashi’s Carving Blade [2026]
A hand-forged tenkoku-to (seal engraving knife) rooted in Yamanashi's Rokugo seal town and Koshu crystal-carving craft. The precision…
Seki Nail Clipper: Gifu’s Sword-City Precision Steel Tool [2026]
Seki in Gifu forged blades for centuries before its smiths turned to grooming steel; its Takumi no Waza…
Saga Morodomi Sashimono Wooden Stool: Okawa Joinery Craft [2026]
A solid-wood low stool peg-jointed in the sashimono tradition of Saga's Morodomi district, heir to the Chikugo River's…
Hitoyoshi Hanatebako Camellia Lacquer Box: Kuma Folk Craft Guide [2026]
A lacquer-painted wooden keepsake box from Hitoyoshi in the Kuma valley, its camellia motif rooted in Heike-refugee folklore…
Yokaichiba Kiri Paulownia Rice Bin (Komebitsu): Chiba Woodwork [2026]
Yokaichiba on the Boso plain has worked paulownia (kiri) since the Edo period. Its nail-free sashimono joinery makes…
Tosa Cotton Tote Bag: Kochi’s Hand-Woven Tosa-men Carryall [2026]
A hand-woven tote in Tosa cotton (Tosa-men), the sturdy cloth that Tosa-han once cultivated along the warm Shimanto…
Jishoji-yaki Katakuchi Sake Pourer: Gunma Folk Kiln Stoneware [2026]
Jishoji-yaki is a small Edo-era folk kiln in Gunma's Agatsuma highlands. Its ash- and iron-glazed katakuchi pourer is…
Awano Shunkei Lacquer Jubako: Ibaraki’s 500-Year Amber Tiered Box [2026]
Awano Shunkei lacquerware from Ibaraki — one of Japan's Three Shunkei traditions since 1489. Where to find this…
Awa Yusan-bako Lacquered Picnic Box of Tokushima: Where to Buy [2026]
Tokushima's yusan-bako is a three-tier lacquered picnic box children carried on Awa spring outings. Where to buy a…
Taketa Hime Daruma: Oita’s Hand-Painted Doll of Resilience [2026]
A hand-painted papier-mâché lucky doll from Taketa, Oita, modeled on a samurai's wife — the Goto family workshop…
Awa Kaifu Funayuki Knife: Tokushima’s Living Swordsmith Legacy [2026]
A hand-forged funayuki knife from Kaifu, Tokushima — where the medieval Kaifu-to sword tradition lives on in fishermen's…
Usaburo Kokeshi Sosaku Wooden Doll from Gunma: Where to Buy [2026]
Usaburo Kokeshi has lathe-turned sosaku wooden dolls in Gunma's Haruna foothills since 1950. Where to find authentic hand-painted…
Owari Nagoya Maki-e Lacquer Box: Gold Urushi Kobako from Aichi [2026]
A gold maki-e accessory box from Nagoya, where Owari Tokugawa patronage and the Nagoya butsudan trade refined sprinkled-gold…
Sakurai Shikki Lacquer Soup Bowl from Ehime: Where to Buy [2026]
Sakurai Shikki is Imabari's Edo-era lacquerware, once carried across the Seto Inland Sea by wankebune peddler boats. Here's…
Owari Honesuki Hand-Forged Boning Knife: Nagoya Blade Heritage [2026]
A single-bevel Japanese boning knife from Aichi's Owari blade lineage, the same Nagoya region that guards the Kusanagi…
Tottori Hoki Hand-Forged Kiridashi Knife — Yasutsuna Blade Heritage [2026]
A single-bevel hand-forged kiridashi marking knife from Hoki, western Tottori — the Heian-era homeland of swordsmith Yasutsuna. Carbon-steel…
Hikone Brass Incense Burner: Shiga’s Buddhist Metalwork Koro [2026]
Hikone's altar metalworkers have shaped brass kazari fittings since the Ii clan era. This solid-brass koro incense burner…
Sendai Hand-Forged Kiritsuke Knife: Date Masamune Blade Legacy [2026]
A carbon-steel kiritsuke whose sword-tip profile traces straight back to Sendai's Kunikane swordsmiths, the school Date Masamune founded.…
Kawanabe Makie Lacquer Kogo Incense Container: Where to Buy [2026]
From Kagoshima's Kawanabe altar workshops comes a gold makie kogo — a small lidded lacquer incense container in…
Mito-bori Hand-Engraved Brass Letter Opener: Ibaraki Metalcraft [2026]
Heir to Mito's Edo-era sword-fitting engravers, this hand-chiseled brass letter opener bears plum-blossom relief evoking Ibaraki's Kairakuen garden.