Crafts
Lacquerware, ceramics, washi paper, swords, origami and the craftsman tradition.
71 entriesTap a title to open the full entry: three lengths of English explanation, the questions people actually ask, ready-made phrases and audio.
Essential（6）
- ClothingEssential tenugui手ぬぐいa thin cotton cloth
- ClothingEssential furoshiki風呂敷a wrapping cloth
- CraftsEssential kintsugi金継ぎrepairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold
- CraftsEssential origami折り紙paper folding
- CraftsEssential noren暖簾the split cloth curtain hung at a shop entrance
- FolkloreEssential senbazuru千羽鶴a thousand folded cranes, given as a wish for recovery or peace
Standard（40）
- ArtsStandard ishidoro to tsukubai石灯籠と蹲踞the stone furniture of a Japanese garden
- ArtsStandard mokuhanga木版画the woodblock printing behind ukiyo-e
- ClothingStandard kasa笠a traditional Japanese hat, often woven from sedge or bamboo
- CraftsStandard gamaguchiがま口a clasp purse that opens wide like a toad's mouth
- CraftsStandard mashiko yaki益子焼rustic, thick-walled pottery from Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture
- CraftsStandard yosegi-zaiku寄木細工Hakone wooden marquetry made from woods of different natural colors
- CraftsStandard kyusu急須a small Japanese teapot with a side handle
- CraftsStandard magewappa曲げわっぱa bentwood box made from a thin sheet of cedar
- CraftsStandard nishikigoi錦鯉ornamental koi carp bred for color, once called swimming jewels
- CraftsStandard kutani yaki九谷焼colorful overglaze-painted porcelain from Ishikawa Prefecture
- CraftsStandard shibori絞り染めJapanese tie-dyeing, where cloth is tied or stitched before dyeing
- CraftsStandard netsuke根付a small carved toggle once used to hang a pouch or case from a kimono sash
- CraftsStandard sashiko刺し子Japanese running-stitch embroidery, first used to strengthen and warm work clothes
- CraftsStandard maki-e蒔絵lacquer decoration made by sprinkling gold or silver powder onto wet lacquer
- CraftsStandard shikki漆器lacquerware
- CraftsStandard yakimono no sanchi焼き物の産地the pottery towns that each make a distinct kind of ware
- CraftsStandard tatami shokunin畳職人the maker of tatami mats, a shrinking trade that still measures every room by hand
- CraftsStandard shokunin職人the craftsman, as an identity
- CraftsStandard Shigarakiyaki no tanuki信楽焼のたぬきthe ceramic raccoon dog statues from Shigaraki, often placed at shop entrances
- CraftsStandard ningen kokuho人間国宝a Living National Treasure, a state-certified master of a traditional art or craft
- CraftsStandard mizuhiki水引decorative cord on gift envelopes
- CraftsStandard sensu扇子folding fan
- CraftsStandard kumiko組子geometric wooden lattice patterns assembled without a single nail
- CraftsStandard hariko張り子Japanese papier-mache made by layering paper over a mold
- CraftsStandard chochin提灯paper lanterns
- CraftsStandard tojiki陶磁器Japanese pottery and porcelain
- CraftsStandard nihonto日本刀the Japanese sword
- CraftsStandard bizen-yaki備前焼unglazed pottery from Bizen in Okayama
- CraftsStandard furin風鈴wind chimes
- CraftsStandard Aritayaki to Imariyaki有田焼と伊万里焼Japan's first porcelain, and the export port that gave it a second name in the West
- CraftsStandard aizome藍染indigo dyeing
- CraftsStandard wagasa和傘a traditional Japanese umbrella made of bamboo and oiled paper
- CraftsStandard washi和紙traditional Japanese paper
- CraftsStandard wabocho和包丁Japanese kitchen knives, many of them sharpened on one side only
- Home & LivingStandard kawara yane瓦屋根the tiled roof
- Home & LivingStandard gasshozukuri to kayabuki合掌造りと茅葺きthe steep thatched farmhouses of the snow country
- Home & LivingStandard mokuzo kenchiku木造建築why Japan builds in wood
- Home & LivingStandard mokuzo jutaku木造住宅why Japanese homes are rebuilt, not resold
- Modern JapanStandard shokuhin sanpuru食品サンプルthe plastic food in restaurant windows
- Work CultureStandard shokunin no kokeisha busoku職人の後継者不足the shortage of successors for traditional craftspeople
Advanced（25）
- ClothingAdvanced obidome帯留めa small ornament worn on the cord at the front of the obi
- ClothingAdvanced oshima tsumugi大島紬fine silk kimono fabric from Amami Oshima, known for its mud dyeing
- CraftsAdvanced kokeshiこけしwooden dolls from the north
- CraftsAdvanced tsumami zaikuつまみ細工flowers made from tiny folded squares of silk
- CraftsAdvanced denden daikoでんでん太鼓the pellet drum you shake to quiet a baby
- CraftsAdvanced miyadaiku宮大工temple and shrine carpenters
- CraftsAdvanced Edo kiriko江戸切子cut glass from Tokyo
- CraftsAdvanced Nishijin-ori西陣織figured silk weaving from Kyoto
- CraftsAdvanced kumihimo組紐braided cord
- CraftsAdvanced takezaiku竹細工bamboo craft
- CraftsAdvanced dentoteki kogeihin伝統的工芸品crafts officially designated as traditional by the national government
- CraftsAdvanced katana kaji刀鍛冶the swordsmiths who still forge Japanese blades by hand
- CraftsAdvanced Nambu tekki南部鉄器Nambu cast ironware
- CraftsAdvanced hyogushi表具師the craftsperson who mounts hanging scrolls, folding screens and sliding doors
- CraftsAdvanced mingei undo民芸運動the 1926 movement that found beauty in everyday objects made by unnamed craftspeople
- CraftsAdvanced Kiso hinoki木曽のひのきprized cypress from a valley protected by a harsh Edo-era logging law
- CraftsAdvanced kigumi木組みjoining timber without nails
- CraftsAdvanced yuzen友禅resist-dyed pictorial kimono
- CraftsAdvanced raden螺鈿mother-of-pearl inlay in lacquerware
- CraftsAdvanced Wajima-nuri輪島塗the lacquerware of Wajima, built up in over a hundred separate steps
- CraftsAdvanced warosoku和ろうそくJapanese plant-wax candles
- Annual EventsAdvanced hari kuyo針供養a memorial service for broken needles
- Home & LivingAdvanced ranma欄間the carved panel above the sliding doors
- ShintoAdvanced shikinen sengu式年遷宮rebuilding the shrine every twenty years
- ShintoAdvanced jinja no kenchiku神社の建築how to read the buildings of a Shinto shrine