Japan Unlocked

Craft Materials & Tools

3 government-designated crafts in this category.

Shokawa Woodturned Lacquer Ware
庄川挽物木地
📍 Toyama Prefecture (富山県)

Toyama lathe-turned wooden vessels finished with a thin natural oil coating that reveals the wood's luminous grain, used for tea bowls, trays, and cups.

Kanazawa Gold Leaf
金沢箔
📍 Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県)

Producing 99% of Japan's gold leaf, Kanazawa artisans hand-beat gold into translucent sheets used on lacquerware, ceramics, textiles, and temple architecture.

Ise Katagami Stencil Paper
伊勢形紙
📍 Mie Prefecture (三重県)

Intricate hand-cut stencil papers from Suzuka, Mie, used to dye kimono with precise repeating patterns. Now also prized as decorative art objects in their own right.