“If matcha is selling overseas, is there an opportunity in tea bowls (chawan) and bamboo tea whisks (chasen) too?” It is a natural question for anyone weighing up purchasing or product development. Yet between rising interest in matcha and your own utensils actually being chosen lie real differences in use, price, sales channel and supply conditions.

This article compares tea export statistics, cross-border e-commerce transaction data and official announcements from production areas and workshops to establish how far demand can actually be confirmed. It is written for craft businesses, galleries, retailers, restaurants and cafés deciding whether to stock tea utensils or sell them outside Japan.

Is Matcha’s Popularity Driving Demand for Japanese Tea Utensils?

On one wholesale platform, the value of tea utensils traded has grown. Tea export statistics, however, cannot tell you directly how tea bowls and chasen are selling.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan’s green tea exports in 2025 were worth approximately ¥72.1 billion. From January to August 2026 they reached around ¥67.4 billion, running ahead of the same period the previous year. These figures, however, cover green tea as a whole. They are neither the export value of matcha alone nor the size of a market that includes tea utensils.
(Source: The Situation Surrounding Tea: Export Data | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (in Japanese))

For tea utensils, data from private companies offers more concrete clues. In October 2025, Raccoon Holdings announced that the value of tea utensils traded on SD export, its cross-border wholesale e-commerce service, from May 2024 to April 2025 was 2.2 times the value recorded in the preceding 12 months. This is one example of growth in the tea utensil trade, but it shows neither sales volumes to end consumers nor growth in Japanese-made products alone.
(Source: B2B Sales Trends: Demand for Matcha and Tea Utensils | Raccoon Holdings / PR TIMES (in Japanese))

How “Demand” Is Defined Here

Here, demand for tea utensils means not just interest or enquiries but evidence of actual purchasing and use. That evidence falls broadly into three kinds.

• Trade statistics: data on cross-border trade, aggregated by item, period, partner country and so on.
• Wholesale and distribution data: figures published by wholesale sites, trading companies and others, drawn from their own transactions.
• Makers’ and retailers’ announcements: information on orders, sales, lead times and how products are used, item by item.

These differ in what they cover and what they measure. Official statistics allow broad, continuous comparison but cannot reveal individual uses. A workshop’s announcements are specific, but findings from one business cannot be generalised to the entire market.

Orders, shipments and final sales should also be kept apart. An overseas retailer buying its first stock and the same retailer reordering after items have sold mean different things when judging whether demand will last.

How Far Can Matcha Exports Be Traced in the Statistics?

What export statistics can track is “powdered green tea”, a category that includes matcha. Bearing in mind that this is not a figure for matcha alone, value, volume and average unit price should each be read separately.

According to Osaka Customs, a powdered category was added within green tea in the January 2019 revision of Japan’s Export Statistical Schedule. This made it possible to analyse export trends in finer detail than green tea as a whole. The new code, however, was not created for matcha specifically.
(Source: Green Tea Exports: December 2025 Feature | Osaka Customs (in Japanese))

What Does “Powdered Green Tea” Include?

MAFF explains that powdered green tea includes both matcha and other powdered tea. A rise in exports of powdered green tea should therefore not be read simply as a rise in exports of matcha alone.

The statistical codes for powdered green tea are 0902.10-100 for products in immediate packings with a net weight of 3 kg or less, and 0902.20-100 for all others. Looking at the category as a whole means including both. The packing-weight distinction alone cannot tell you whether a product is intended for household or commercial use.
(Source: Export Statistical Schedule, Chapter 9 (January 2026 edition) | Japan Customs (in Japanese))

Export Value and Unit Price Since 2019

Osaka Customs data shows Japan’s total exports of powdered green tea rising from ¥8.89 billion in 2019 to ¥27.2 billion in 2024. Volume grew over the same period from 2,200 tonnes to 5,092 tonnes.

The figures cover Japan’s exports of powdered green tea to all destinations. Data for 2019–2024 comes from Osaka Customs and data for 2025 from MAFF. Both draw on the Ministry of Finance’s Trade Statistics of Japan, so they are not two independent surveys.
(Source: Green Tea Exports: Data Tables | Osaka Customs (in Japanese))
(Source: Tea Exports by Form | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (in Japanese))

In 2025, exports were worth approximately ¥60.4 billion, at an average export unit price of ¥6,927/kg. The average unit price here is export value divided by export volume. It moves not only when the same products rise in price but also when the mix shifts towards products in different price ranges.
(Source: Export Unit Price by Form (2025) | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (in Japanese))

Growth in export value is not the same as growth in the amount of tea drunk, or in the number of people buying utensils. To understand demand for tea utensils, you need to look separately at the shops and households using the tea, how it is prepared, and whether utensils are being added to or replaced.

Three Checks Before Comparing Export Figures

First, FOB prices: do not confuse export value with retail sales abroad. Export statistics are in principle based on FOB (free on board) prices, the value of goods at the port of export. They differ from shelf prices, which include international freight and insurance to the importing country as well as local duties and retail costs.
(Source: Frequently Asked Questions | Trade Statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance (in Japanese))

Second, revision status. Trade statistics are released as preliminary, provisional, second provisional and final figures, and quantities and values may change as they are revised. When comparing figures, keep a record of the source document and period, and compare year-to-date totals with the same period of the previous year.
(Source: Notes on Use | Trade Statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance (in Japanese))

Third, the mix of matcha and powdered tea. Keeping the category name “powdered green tea” in charts and headings reduces the risk of misunderstanding when the numbers are quoted on their own.

Why Is It Difficult to Track Tea Bowl and Chasen Exports Separately?

Matcha bowls cannot be isolated within the ceramic tableware categories reviewed. For chasen, too, no standalone export trend could be confirmed in this research.

This does not mean there is no demand. The problem is a mismatch between the range of products you want to know about and the range the statistics aggregate. When a broad category is used, it is necessary to state what the figure includes.

The classification of individual products needs to be checked against their material, specifications and other factors.
(Source: Export Statistical Schedule, Chapter 9 (January 2026 edition) | Japan Customs (in Japanese))
(Source: Export Statistical Schedule, Chapter 69 (January 2026 edition) | Japan Customs (in Japanese))

Where Tea Bowls Sit in the Ceramics Classification

Categories such as porcelain tableware and kitchenware, and ceramic household articles other than porcelain, have no subdivision that identifies matcha bowls. Even if exports in those categories rise, the contribution of matcha bowls cannot be known.

In addition, quantities are recorded by weight, so they cannot be converted directly into numbers of items sold. With tableware of varying sizes and weights mixed together, estimating a count by assuming an average weight per bowl produces large errors.

When planning a tea bowl product, it makes sense to treat these statistics as a reference for tableware trends overall, and to rely on order and sales records for the specific products to understand actual volumes and uses.

Which Category Do Chasen Fall Under?

The focus here is the bamboo chasen. However, the sources reviewed for this article could not establish a statistical code from which the export value or volume of chasen alone can be extracted.

We have avoided guessing a category simply because the material is bamboo, and treating a figure that includes other bamboo products as the export value of chasen. The classification actually used for export needs to be confirmed with customs or the relevant authorities, on the basis of the product’s specifications.

When you come across a figure said to show demand for chasen, check whether it comes from national statistics, one company’s orders or a survey of the production area. Data with a clearly defined scope is useful, but it cannot support conclusions beyond that scope.

Purchases That Do Not Appear in Export Statistics

The Ministry of Finance’s notes on trade statistics state that small consignments of ¥200,000 or less, and goods cleared as passengers’ baggage, are not counted. As a result, some transactions, such as items bought by visitors to Japan and taken home with them, do not appear in the trade statistics.
(Source: Notes on Use | Trade Statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance (in Japanese))

The sources here do not, however, show what share of demand from outside Japan these purchases represent. It is not possible to infer their scale, for instance by claiming that “a large part does not appear in the statistics”.

Equally, products purchased through wholesalers or other intermediaries in Japan are included in the statistics if their subsequent export is counted. Rather than judging by the name of the purchasing channel, check which stage of the transaction you are looking at.

What Can Wholesale Data and Makers’ Announcements Tell Us?

Wholesale data confirms growth in the value of tea utensils traded, and official accounts of Takayama chasen production show that bamboo preparation can take years. Combining sales trends with supply conditions reveals both the opportunity and the constraints.

Even where statistics cannot separate products in detail, there are clues to how they are used. A company’s announcement, however, contains both the transaction results it reports directly and its own interpretation of the market, and the two need to be read separately.

What the Wholesale Report Says About Spouted Matcha Bowls

In its announcement of 3 October 2025, Raccoon Holdings stated that the value of tea utensils traded on SD export from May 2024 to April 2025 was 2.2 times that of the preceding 12 months. It also reported that the value of tea utensil orders by country reached 2.48 times the previous level in the United States and 2.88 times in Australia. These are measures of transaction value, not numbers of units sold.
(Source: B2B Sales Trends: Demand for Matcha and Tea Utensils | Raccoon Holdings / PR TIMES (in Japanese))

A katakuchi is a bowl or vessel with a pouring spout. The announcement attributes the popularity of the katakuchi matcha bowl to how easily whisked matcha can be poured from it into a glass of milk when making a latte. Its linking of a vessel’s shape to the task of making a drink is a useful point of reference.

However, the attention to katakuchi bowls here reflects the use and featured products the company chose to highlight. Neither the share of katakuchi bowls nor their contribution to the overall rise in tea utensils is given. It cannot be concluded that vessels for lattes are driving growth across the market.

What makers and sellers can take from this is not just the multiples but the question of why that shape became necessary. Understanding what the user does with a vessel makes it possible to define what to test: ease of pouring, ease of holding, capacity and so on.

What Is Happening in Takayama, the Chasen Production Area

Takayama, in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, is a production area for chasen. Volume 8 of “Densan Danshi, Densan Joshi”, a series by the Kinki Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry profiling young makers in traditional industries, describes the Takayama chasen process: bamboo cut in winter is dried, has its oils removed and is left to rest for two to three years before it is worked.
(Source: Densan Danshi, Densan Joshi Vol. 8: Takayama Chasen | Kinki Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry (in Japanese))

This method shows that the time spent finishing a whisk does not by itself explain supply conditions. Production has to be planned with the preparation of bamboo included. The source does not, however, allow any judgement about individual workshops’ bamboo stocks or spare capacity.

The official website of Suikaen, a chasen workshop in Takayama, still carries a notice explaining that it temporarily suspended orders through its web shop because of a large number of orders and a backlog of deliveries, with reopening announced for March 2025. This is a past example of a workshop having to adjust how it handled orders. It does not show the share or growth of orders from outside Japan, or current lead times.
(Source: Temporary Suspension of Web Shop Orders | Suikaen)

Read together, the time needed to prepare bamboo and an actual notice adjusting orders make clear that more orders do not necessarily mean output can be increased straight away. Before ordering, it is essential to confirm current supply conditions directly.

How to Read Makers’ Announcements

Stock-outs and longer lead times are important clues to demand. On their own, though, they cannot distinguish an increase in orders from a fall in supply. Even if orders stay the same, items run short when production or deliveries fall.

Points worth checking include:

• The period and products the notice covers
• Changes in orders, and changes in production and deliveries
• Where the products are going: domestic or overseas, wholesale or retail
• Whether it is a temporary surge or ongoing demand with reorders

That something appears on an official website does not mean it is still the case. Past notices should not be presented as the current sales situation.

What Do You See When You Break Down “Selling Well”?

Use, place of manufacture and production method are factors that should be assessed separately. The difference between chanoyu and café use alone cannot tell you whether a piece is studio work or mass-produced, or whether output can be increased.

When considering purchasing, first clarify where the item will be used, then check material, maker, place of manufacture, quantity, price and so on. The table below is not a bestseller ranking but a set of points for evaluating products.

For every use, products across a range of methods and price levels are possible. Even when investigating demand by use, comparisons need to keep differences in product mix visible.

Demand for Chanoyu Versus Demand for Matcha Lattes

When choosing utensils for chanoyu, you check the purpose of the lesson or gathering, any requirements set by the teacher, and how the piece combines with other utensils. For a vessel used to prepare lattes, on the other hand, one reason for choosing it is how well it suits transferring whisked matcha into a separate glass.

Even within “for matcha”, the shape and number of vessels needed differ between a bowl for drinking from and one for preparing in. More matcha on café menus does not necessarily mean as many matcha bowls as customers.

Interest in lattes may lead to interest in chanoyu or in makers’ work, but that transition has not been confirmed by the sources used here. The connection between uses is best held as a possibility, while actual purchasing behaviour is looked at separately.

How Should Buyers Assess Tea Utensils Made Outside Japan?

The Raccoon Holdings announcement also includes the example of an exhibitor that turned to products made in China in response to stock-outs. It is, however, an anonymous individual case and does not show market share by country of manufacture for tea utensils as a whole.
(Source: Company Responses to Rising Demand for Matcha and Tea Utensils | Raccoon Holdings / PR TIMES (in Japanese))

Equating Japanese-made products with superior quality and those made outside Japan with inferior quality is not appropriate. What needs checking is material, method, fitness for use, place of manufacture and terms of trade. Only by explaining the differences between individual products does information help users choose.

Conveying a maker’s skill and background does not require disparaging other products. Showing why a particular material is used, and what task a shape was designed around, explains more concretely why a piece is chosen.

What Should You Check When Buying or Developing Tea Utensils?

Define your target customers and use, then check sales records, reorders and supply conditions. Start with a small trial, and feed what you learn from actual use back into the next round of purchasing and making.

Buzz can prompt research, but it is not enough to set order quantities. Separate products to sell in your shop, tools to use on your premises and products to develop jointly, and set out what you need to confirm before making the next decision.

What Galleries and Retailers Should Check

Retailers should record not only sales value but also units sold, quantities received, how long items took to sell and why customers bought them. Distinguish whether sales grew because you added new products or because the same products sold more.

Because tea bowls are used repeatedly, there is no need to expect repeat purchases at the rate of a consumable. Look at indicators that suit the nature of the product: whether it is reaching new customers, whether customers are adding other bowls, and whether wholesale accounts keep restocking.

When handling makers’ work, align sales plans with the pace of production. Consider both holding the stock you need and communicating the next delivery date accurately, and build a trading relationship that does not overstretch anyone.

Choosing Bowls for a Matcha Menu in Restaurants and Cafés

Restaurants and cafés should choose vessels to suit how they prepare and serve matcha. Will it be whisked at the table and drunk from the bowl, or prepared in the kitchen and transferred to a glass? Deciding the setting of use first makes it easier to consider shape and quantity.

Katakuchi bowls are worth considering where matcha is poured into another vessel, but ease of pouring and holding must be tested product by product. Check that they fit daily work, including washing, drying, storage and replacement after breakage.

The basic points for choosing a matcha bowl, such as the shape of the mikomi (the inner well of the bowl) and how it sits in the hand, are set out in the following Japanese-language article.

en.kogei-japonica.com/media

How to Choose Your First Matcha Bowl (Chawan): A Beginner’s Guide

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/choose-matcha/

When you decide to start learning the tea ceremony or simply want to enjoy matcha at home, one of the first questions that comes up is: Which matcha bowl should I buy? With so many regions, styles, and price points, choosing your first bowl can feel overwhelming.However, prioritizing practical usability makes the process much easier.This article outlines the basics of selecting your first bowl for tea ceremony beginners and international fans of Japanese culture.For your first matcha bowl, pr...

During a trial, record both why staff found a vessel easy to use and the moments when it was awkward. Sharing that with the maker makes it possible to discuss specifications and usage guidance in concrete terms.

What Should Businesses Check Before Exporting Tea Utensils from Japan?

When selling from Japan to other markets, first define the target market and the product specifications. Then check the conditions that apply, such as product classification, duties, requirements for items that come into contact with food, and labelling. Export conditions for tea cannot simply be applied to ceramics or bamboo products.

On terms of trade, set out quantities, lead times, additional production, acceptable variation between pieces, handling of breakage and changes to specifications. Agreement should come only after confirming what the maker can manage, rather than promising what the buyer wants first.

If you are considering product development or new sales channels, set out your intended use, quantities, lead times and target country, then take a look at Kogei Japonica’s business support page (in Japanese). Enquiries can be directed according to purpose, from collaboration with makers and workshops to communicating the value of products.

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Japanese Craft Services for Business

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/enterprise/

Kogei Japonica helps businesses, organizations, artisans, and local governments work with Japanese craft through sales development, artist collaborations, creative projects, product sourcing, and rentals for exhibitions, photography, and interiors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The basic principle is to separate what the statistics cover from how individual products are selling. In purchasing decisions, checking use and supply conditions is also essential.

Q1. How much have matcha exports grown?

The figures to check are for powdered green tea, which includes matcha, rather than for matcha alone. According to official sources, exports rose from ¥27.2 billion in 2024 to ¥60.4 billion in 2025.
(Source: Green Tea Exports: Data Tables | Osaka Customs (in Japanese))
(Source: Tea Exports by Form | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (in Japanese))

Q2. Are tea utensils included in matcha export statistics?

No. Tea and tea utensils are classified as separate items, so sales of tea bowls and chasen cannot be read from tea export values.

Q3. Where can I check whether tea bowl exports are rising?

Matcha bowls cannot be isolated from the ceramic tableware categories reviewed here. The gap has to be filled with wholesale and retail sales records for the products concerned, or with workshops’ order data.

Q4. Are the tea utensils selling outside Japan mainly for chanoyu or for matcha lattes?

A cross-border wholesale company’s announcement points to interest in katakuchi matcha bowls, which are convenient for preparing lattes. However, no breakdown of the market by use is available, so it is not possible to say which is driving the whole.

Q5. Why can it take time to increase chasen production?

In the Takayama production process described by the source, bamboo preparation can take years. The cause of any particular shortage, however, can only be known by checking order volumes, material stocks and production and delivery status.

Q6. Are more chasen and tea bowls made outside Japan appearing on the market?

A wholesaler’s announcement includes a case of a business handling products made in China to cover stock-outs. An individual case, however, cannot show the market-wide share or growth rate by country of manufacture.

Q7. What should a restaurant or café check when choosing bowls for a matcha menu?

Decide whether the bowl is for preparing or for serving, then check ease of whisking and pouring, washing, drying and storage, and how easily breakages can be replaced. Testing it in actual service before introducing it is effective.

Conclusion

The value of tea utensils traded on at least one cross-border wholesale platform has risen amid growing interest in matcha. How far demand for Japanese-made tea bowls and chasen as a whole has grown, however, cannot be judged from these sources alone.

Tea export statistics are a starting point for understanding trade beyond Japan. Adding sales by product, use, reorders and makers’ supply conditions brings the demand that matters to your own business into focus.

For Kogei Japonica, the useful question is not simply whether more tea utensils are selling, but why buyers choose them, and whether makers can fulfil subsequent orders sustainably. What task did the vessel’s shape make easier? What did users need to know that the product information did not explain? On what terms can the next order be accepted? Sharing those answers between makers and users is what turns a single sale into a lasting relationship.

To connect interest in matcha with craft work, start by testing one product, one use and one sales channel. Building on that, step by step, leads to demand that makers can meet sustainably and products that users value.

This article is based on publicly available sources checked as of 27 October 2026. Export figures are taken from official publications, and no independent estimate of market size has been made. No direct interviews with workshops or collection of sales records were carried out. Company announcements are referenced only within the scope of the services and cases concerned, and past notices are not treated as current stock levels or lead times.

The post Is Matcha Driving Demand for Japanese Tea Utensils? first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

You may want spaces that feel right for the New Year, yet hesitate to add display changes during the busiest weeks, or wonder whether pieces can be properly cared for in a heated building. Shitsurai is the arrangement of a space to reflect a season or occasion. In a hotel, that means balancing the display with guest service, cleaning and the care of each piece.

One approach is to plan the display tied to the New Year festivities separately from a winter display that continues afterwards. There is no need to change every piece. Decide what stays and what changes, so that handling instructions are passed on even when staff change.

Drawing on published examples from local governments and hotels, this guide covers how to structure a display, the New Year schedule, where to place pieces, and how to hand over to the next team once the display comes down. Facts confirmed in the examples are kept distinct from our editorial suggestions for applying them in your own property.

When considering how spaces and materials work together, our related article on summer shitsurai is also useful. Here, the focus is on seasonal changeovers and how displays are run once installed.

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Creating Ryo: Japanese Summer Craft for Hotels and Ryokan

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/summer-shitsurai-craft/

As summer approaches, a familiar question returns in hotels, ryokan, and restaurants: how should the space be refreshed this year? There is a desire to evoke coolness, but the results can start to feel repetitive season after season. Or the intention is there to bring in craft objects, but it is not clear which materials belong in which spaces. These are common practical problems.For a summer installation that draws on craft, the approach is to combine sudare reed screens, hemp textiles, bamb...

Plan Winter Displays in Two Phases: New Year and Beyond

In winter, review the New Year calendar together with the display conditions created by heating. Treating the New Year period and the weeks that follow separately makes it easier to define what changes and what work is involved.

Seasonal displays need managing in summer too, but at the turn of the year several commitments can overlap: putting up and taking down New Year decorations, special in-house programmes, and suppliers’ holiday closures. Confirm not only the opening date but dates that both the property and the makers can manage.

The two-phase plan is not a nationwide rule. It is a way of separating pieces that remain throughout winter from elements changed for the New Year period, in line with the property’s own calendar.

The New Year Display: Celebration and Welcome

During shōgatsu, the Japanese New Year, one approach is to express the welcoming of the new year through the relationship between the pieces and the space. Where kadomatsu (pine-and-bamboo entrance decorations), kagami-mochi (stacked rice-cake offerings) or New Year flowers are installed, clarify the position and role of each so that the craft pieces are not lost among them.

When choosing pieces, look at their use on celebratory occasions, their connection to the region, and the meaning the maker gave them. Rather than deciding by colour or material alone (“red suits a celebration”, “lacquerware feels like New Year”), be able to explain why this piece is being presented in this property.

Properties with more guests and more in-house work may choose to show fewer pieces. Fewer pieces do not necessarily mean easier management, however. Consider the size, form and handling requirements of each piece, and find a placement that works alongside daily cleaning and guest service.

After New Year: Displays for the Rest of Winter

Winter stays continue after the New Year decorations come down. At this point, the focus can shift from celebration to the pieces’ materials, making techniques and the regional ways of life behind them.

Pieces may stay on from the New Year period with updated labels, or be replaced with different works. The end of matsu-no-uchi, the New Year decoration period, varies by region, so set the changeover date according to the property’s location and calendar.

Even when the same pieces remain, loan periods and display conditions still need confirming. When changing surrounding elements such as flowers or lighting, check their effect on the pieces as well.

What Can Hotels Learn from Published Examples?

Craft displays can be organised around their purpose: permanent display, seasonal changeover, display with sales, and demonstrations by artisans. These are overlapping operating patterns, not categories that determine ownership or liability for damage.

Published examples show display periods, venues, the crafts presented and how sales are handled. Staffing, storage and compensation terms, however, may not be clear from announcements alone. When adapting these examples to your own property, confirm any undisclosed conditions individually.

Display with Sales: Kanagawa Prefecture and Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (Announced for 2025 and 2026)

Kanagawa Prefecture announced the display and sale of Hakone yosegi-zaiku (wood marquetry), Odawara lacquerware and Kamakura-bori (carved lacquer) in the lobby of the hotel wing at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. The 2026 announcement gave a period of 8 January to 3 March and listed examples including an octagonal confectionery dish, a serving bowl and a square plate. The previous year, a display and sale was announced for 9 January to 28 February 2025.
(Source: Traditional Crafts to Be Displayed and Sold at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (2026 announcement, in Japanese) | Kanagawa Prefectural Government)
(Source: Traditional Crafts to Be Displayed and Sold at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (2025 announcement, in Japanese) | Kanagawa Prefectural Government)

In both announcements, the display was scheduled to begin in early January and continue into late February or early March. This offers a reference for planning craft presentation that continues after the New Year events. The reasons for the dates, and how busy the hotel was during them, cannot be confirmed from the published materials.

These are presented here as past examples. For future editions, check the official announcements from the prefecture or the hotel each time.

What Happens to the Display When a Piece Sells?

The prefecture’s announcement states that because every piece is one of a kind, a different work is put on display once a piece is sold, and that displayed pieces can be purchased at the hotel shop.
(Source: Traditional Crafts to Be Displayed and Sold at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (in Japanese) | Kanagawa Prefectural Government)

To adopt this system, decide what happens after a sale when the pieces are selected. What will be displayed until a replacement arrives? Who will check its condition at the changeover? Who will update the label, price and other details? Procedures that link sales with display management are essential.

The actual division of roles and the settlement terms are not described in the announcement. When considering this approach, agree who collects payment and how proceeds are settled, what commission applies, and how unsold pieces are returned. Linking display with sales can create new sales opportunities for makers and regional craft businesses.

Demonstrations: Artisans in Hotel New Otani Tokyo’s New Year Programme

Hotel New Otani Tokyo announced its “New Year Plan 2026” for the period from 29 December 2025 to 3 January 2026.
(Source: “New Year Plan 2026” (in Japanese) | Hotel New Otani Tokyo)

The event report by the planning partner, Japan Traditional Culture Lab (JTCL), lists stalls for oshie hagoita (decorative wooden paddles with padded fabric designs), Edo kiriko (cut glass), Edo sashimono (traditional woodwork made using joinery techniques) and Edo kimekomi dolls (fabric-inlaid dolls), along with demonstrations by artisans. The report’s event summary lists venues in both Tokyo and Makuhari, with dates of 31 December 2025 to 3 January 2026. These dates should be read separately from the period of the accommodation plan as a whole.
(Source: Event Report: Hotel New Otani’s “New Year Plan 2026” (in Japanese) | JTCL)

Beyond the finished pieces, demonstrations let guests see how materials are worked and hear makers explain what they are doing. When planning one, agree viewing positions, the scope for using tools, power supply and working hours with the exhibitors.

Exhibitors do not necessarily take full responsibility for pieces and tools. Treat event hours, overnight periods, and set-up and take-down separately, and decide the respective roles of the property and the exhibitors for each. Safety checks suited to the tools and materials used in the demonstrations are also needed.

Commissioning Craft for Hotel Use: An Ishikawa Example

Separate from display methods, a property can also procure work developed specifically for it. The application guidelines for Ishikawa Prefecture’s 2018 programme promoting made-to-order traditional craft for accommodation providers set out a process in which traditional craft businesses propose plans in response to hotels’ needs, and the property then purchases and uses the jointly developed products.
(Source: 2018 Programme for Made-to-Order Traditional Craft for Accommodation Providers: Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | Ishikawa Prefectural Government)

The same document states that industrial property rights belong to the selected traditional craft business, and that sales conditions are to be agreed among three parties: the selected business, the property and the general adviser. These were the conditions of that programme and do not automatically apply to commissions in general.

When commissioning tableware or furnishings for winter use, discuss not only purpose and quantity but also production time, rights, repeat orders and repairs in advance. This differs from a seasonal display, but offers a reference when bringing long-term craft pieces into a property.

Four Operating Patterns for Craft Displays in Hotels

This table is an editorial summary. Patterns can be combined, for example by pairing display with sales and demonstrations. Responses to damage and compensation should not be determined by display format alone, but confirmed as individual terms.

Who Does What, and When? A New Year Display Plan

A display plan brings procurement, delivery, inspection and return together on a single sheet, anchored by the installation and take-down dates. Cross-check the business calendars of the property and its suppliers, and record the deadlines for checks separately from the actual working dates.

Purchases, loans, display with sales and commissions each require different lead times. Commissions may need even earlier planning, so rather than setting a common deadline, start by confirming the necessary stages with the makers.

A Sample Timeline: From Autumn Planning to Winter Take-Down

The following example assumes a New Year display using existing pieces. Adjust the actual dates to the requirements of the pieces, the property’s operations, the storage available, and the availability of transport and installation contractors.

Autumn: set out the plan and procurement terms
Decide the purpose, location, candidate pieces and scope of change. Confirm costs, handling, photography, whether pieces will be sold and the return conditions, and appoint a lead and a deputy. If the required production or loan periods do not fit, reconsider the plan itself.

December: prepare for delivery and receipt
Agree delivery dates, access routes, who will receive the pieces, and where and when they will be unpacked. Receiving pieces early also means finding temporary storage space. For winter transport, take environmental differences into account, and check with the lender and the carrier whether pieces may be unpacked immediately on arrival.

Year-end: install and check before opening
Where installation overlaps in time or place with the New Year decorations, adjust the order of work. After installation, check the condition of the pieces, fixing methods, labels and guest routes, and have the person in charge decide whether the display is ready to open.

New Year period: inspect as agreed
Decide what to check and when, and share information at cleaning and shift changes. Where sales lead to replacements, confirm each time that the pieces and their labels match.

After the festivities: change what needs changing
As the New Year decorations come down, confirm which pieces stay and which change. For loaned pieces that remain on display, recheck the loan periods. Update condition photographs and labels for any new pieces.

End of run: take down, then return or store
Check the condition of each piece as it is removed from display, and pack and transport it as agreed. For pieces the property owns, record storage conditions and location until their next use.

Assigning Responsibilities Across the Team

Assigning tasks by department alone tends to leave unclear who makes decisions when something goes wrong. Record the tasks each person carries out separately from what they are authorised to approve. Even in small properties where roles overlap, appoint a lead and a deputy.

Example Division of Roles

Example Display Plan

Adding columns for the planned date, confirmed date, name of the lead, deputy and outstanding issues makes this table ready for internal sharing. It is important to distinguish the staff who look at pieces from the staff who may move them.

Where Should Winter Craft Displays Go? Heating, Dry Air and Crowds

Choose display locations after checking heating and entrance conditions, natural light, and the routes taken by guests and cleaning staff. Safe conditions cannot be determined by material alone, so give priority to each piece’s condition and handling instructions.

Besides photographs of the proposed location, tell the lender about air-conditioning hours, the position relative to windows and entrances, and any nearby work involving water. Discuss before installation whether environmental monitoring is needed.

Notes by Material

Grouping by material is a starting point for deciding how to handle pieces. Finish, construction, joints and repair history all change what needs checking, so do not use the following as a uniform handling procedure.

• Lacquer and wood: Check the wooden base and the surface finish, and ask the maker what care is needed regarding air flow from heating, heat, dryness, and changes in temperature and humidity. If you find dirt, do not wipe with water or polish on your own judgement.
• Bamboo and washi: Check the weave, joints, thin areas and how the piece is supported. Keep the checks for objects on display separate from those for washi (Japanese paper) and bamboo used on walls, in lighting or in interiors.
• Metal and glass: Check the surface finish, fittings, and how fingerprints and marks should be dealt with. When bringing pieces in from a cold place, discuss unpacking methods that take the environmental difference into account.
• Ceramics: Check not only the weight and form of the body but also rims, handles, projections and joins. When using a piece as a flower vessel, confirm for each piece whether water may be used.

Using washi in hotel or shop interiors calls for checks suited to its use and installation method, separate from the display of pieces.

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Custom Washi Wall Panels for Hotels and Retail Interiors

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/invest/washi-hotel-interior/

If you have worked on a hotel or retail interior, you may have considered washi for a wall surface. The appeal is obvious enough from photographs of completed projects. The questions start when you try to place an order: can it meet the fire requirements, how do you obtain samples, how large can it actually be made, and who is responsible for what.Washi can be used on walls in hotels and retail spaces, but where interior-finish restrictions apply, the substrate and installation method specifi...

Are Museum Standards a Useful Reference?

Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in its guidelines on exhibiting National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, calls for management based on an understanding of each object’s material, form and condition, and for care to avoid sudden changes in temperature and humidity. The guidelines also address acclimatisation after transport to a different environment, and inspection during display.
(Source: Guidelines on Exhibiting National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties (revised 16 June 2023, in Japanese) | Agency for Cultural Affairs)

These guidelines, however, apply to the exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. The temperature, humidity and light levels they set out cannot be used as general standards for hotel displays, or as figures that guarantee safety.

What is worth borrowing is the principle of setting display conditions only after understanding a piece’s condition and the environment in which it has been kept. The property should share its actual conditions and agree location, period and inspection methods with the lender and any specialist contractors required.

Fire-Retardant Checks for Plinths, Fabrics and Panels

In Japan, certain items used in hotels and ryokan, including curtains, carpets and plywood used for display purposes, are subject to fire-retardancy requirements. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency states that buildings covered by the rules must use fire-retardant products with a set level of performance for these items.
(Source: Fire-Retardant Products (in Japanese) | Fire and Disaster Management Agency)

When checking, do not assume that “it is a craft piece, so it is exempt”, or that “all display fabrics are treated the same”. Check according to the type of item, its use and how it is installed. Before arranging display panels, floor coverings or backdrop fabrics, share the specifications with the relevant property staff.

In addition to checking fire-retardant labels, consult the local fire station if it is unclear whether an item falls under the rules. The Tokyo Fire Department’s guidance gives specific examples by use, including display plywood and fabric decorations. For properties outside Japan, check the applicable local requirements with the relevant authority.
(Source: Items Subject to Fire-Retardant Rules (in Japanese) | Tokyo Fire Department)

Crowding and Contact over the New Year

A lobby is used not only by people viewing the pieces but also by people carrying luggage, waiting to meet others and cleaning. Check movement to the sides of and behind a display, not only the viewing position in front of it.

Consider ways of preventing contact that suit both the pieces and the space, from cases and plinth placement to appropriate partitions. When setting up partitions or a low visual barrier, place them so that they do not cause tripping or obstruct passage or evacuation.

Labels should give the title, maker, materials, technique and place of production. If touching is not permitted, state this clearly in Japanese and English. Indicate separately whether the piece is available for purchase and where guests can buy it. Labels are supplementary guidance and do not replace careful placement and care.

After the Display: Storage, Records and Staff Handover

Recording each piece’s condition at take-down, its storage location and the year’s issues allows the plan to be reused the following year. Link photographs to the register so that the reasons behind decisions survive changes of staff.

When a display ends, tidying up tends to take priority. But it is also the moment when the people who know what was easy to handle, and where adjustments were needed, are still on hand. Make recording information for next time part of taking the display down.

What to Record When Taking Down the Display

Give each piece an identification number and gather the following information. Photograph and handle pieces only within the limits of their handling instructions.

• Photographs: Full views of the display, the condition of each piece, and records showing how it was installed.
• Location: The display position marked on a floor plan or layout.
• Condition: Any changes since installation, the date of checking and who checked.
• Accessories: Stands, supports, labels and other fittings.
• Boxes and packing materials: Which box belongs to which piece, the packing method and the storage location.

A tomobako (a wooden box bearing the maker’s inscription) or another inscribed box may contain information that should be kept with the piece. Do not discard such boxes as unnecessary; check with the lender or owner. If boxes and pieces are stored in different places, make the pairing clear through identification numbers.

Storage Basics

Decide how to store each piece after checking its instructions. Wrapping in paper or cloth, sealing, or adding desiccant is not the right answer for every piece.

Do not record the storage location simply as “store room”; specify the room and the shelf. Check how the air conditioning runs, any equipment that uses water, the movement of other supplies, and the possibility of contact with the pieces, and ask the lender whether the proposed storage space meets each piece’s requirements.

Return loaned or consigned pieces on the agreed date, using the agreed packing and transport arrangements. If there is a storage period between take-down and handover, decide where the pieces will be kept and who will look after them. After return, record confirmation of receipt to complete the cycle.

What to Include in Handover Documents

So that next year’s lead can reproduce the plan, record not only the decisions made but also, briefly, the reasons behind them.

• The display theme and why the pieces were chosen.
• A list of pieces, distinguishing owned, borrowed and for-sale items.
• The actual dates of installation, changeover, and take-down or return.
• Leads, deputies and supplier contacts.
• Agreed handling conditions and approved placement and fixing methods.
• Inspection records, problems that arose and how they were dealt with.
• What to continue next time and what to change.

Suppliers’ closure dates, contacts and loan terms may not be the same next year. Use the previous year’s records as a starting point, and keep a separate list of items to recheck.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Should New Year decorations and the craft display be changed at the same time?

There is no need to change them together. Separate what changes for the New Year period from the pieces that remain afterwards, and set dates according to the property’s calendar and staffing.

Q2. Does winter heating damage lacquerware or woodwork?

Some pieces need care regarding dryness and changes in temperature and humidity. Check the air flow and heat from heating and the conditions at the display location, and rather than judging by material alone, confirm handling requirements, including finish and condition, with the maker or lender.

Q3. Is it possible to borrow craft pieces or display them on consignment?

Arrangements and terms differ between artists, workshops, galleries and rental providers. Prepare details of the location, preferred period, management arrangements and whether pieces will be sold, then make an enquiry.

Q4. If a piece is damaged during the busy season, who deals with it?

This is not determined by display format alone. Before installation, confirm who to report to on discovery, which staff may handle the piece, and who to consult about repairs and insurance. In an emergency, put people’s safety and the prevention of further contact first, and follow the agreed procedure rather than repairing or cleaning on your own judgement.

Q5. When should preparations begin?

The time needed depends on whether existing pieces are being sourced or new work commissioned, and on transport and installation conditions. For a New Year display, starting discussions in autumn is one possible plan, but where production is involved, ask the makers whether earlier planning is needed.

Q6. How should the pieces be explained to guests from overseas?

Alongside the title, maker, materials, technique and place of production, explain why the piece has been chosen for this season. Explain any connection to shōgatsu, the Japanese New Year, and check the meaning of specific motifs and customs with the maker or an appropriate local source. For Japanese and English labels, the official titles of pieces and the names of makers also need checking.

Planning Your Next Winter Display

For winter craft displays in Japanese hotels and ryokan, plan the choice of pieces together with the work that follows installation. Treating the New Year period and the weeks after it separately, and sharing who handles changeovers, how inspections are done and where pieces are stored or returned, makes it easier to develop an approach that suits the property.

The published examples show the range of ways craft can be presented: shown over time, linked to sales, or with the making process conveyed through demonstration. Setting out the work each approach requires gives concrete shape to the relationship between the pieces and the property.

Kogei Japonica accepts enquiries about craft rental for businesses and about planning and production with artists and workshops. The scope of support for selecting pieces, delivery and installation, changeovers and return is confirmed case by case according to the pieces and installation conditions.

A display begins the moment pieces are placed, and it is sustained by how they are handled afterwards. Kogei Japonica gives equal weight to conveying the background of each piece and to building the arrangements that allow it to be cared for over time. For the next New Year season, start with one display area and the people who will install, check, change and store its pieces.

The post Winter Craft Displays in Japanese Hotels: A Practical Guide first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

Found a cloth you love, but unsure whether it will fit your gift, or whether the recipient should keep it? Before choosing a pattern, measure the gift and decide whether the wrapping cloth will be part of the present. Those two decisions make the rest of the choice much simpler.

Drawing on makers’ official size guides, this piece covers how to wrap boxes, bottles and ceramics, how fabrics differ, and how to let the recipient know the cloth is theirs to keep. The size guidelines are based on makers’ recommendations and do not guarantee a fit for every shape, nor any load-bearing capacity.

Choose the size to suit your gift and wrapping method

Measure the length, width and height of the gift, then choose a furoshiki with your wrapping method in mind. Check the dimensions before buying and, if you can, try a test wrap.

A furoshiki is a wrapping cloth, usually square, used to wrap and carry objects. The Consumer Affairs Agency’s guide to product quality labelling also defines it by its use and shape. Because the term does not refer to a particular fibre or pattern, cloths sold as furoshiki vary widely in size, thickness and feel.
(Source: Furoshiki | Consumer Affairs Agency)

What should you measure on a box, bottle or ceramic piece?

For a box, measure the height as well as the length and width of the base. For a bottle, check the height and the diameter at its widest point. If ceramics are going in a box, work from the outer dimensions of the box you will actually wrap, not the piece itself.

Even with the same base, a taller box needs more cloth to cover its sides. Rather than reasoning “it’s a box of sweets, so it must be this size”, start by measuring the gift in front of you.

Read size charts alongside fabric and wrapping method

A cloth measuring around 45–50 cm along one side is a useful starting point for small gifts. For a box of sweets or a wine bottle, start by considering a 68–70 cm cloth. Some makers list around 90 cm as an example size for an isshōbin, the 1.8-litre sake bottle. musubi describes its S size as about 45–50 cm, M as about 68–70 cm and L as about 90–120 cm.
(Source: Furoshiki Sizes and Materials | Maruwa Shogyo)
(Source: Choose by Size | musubi)

These are manufacturers’ suggested uses, not results from our own wrapping tests. A size listed in a row will not necessarily fit every item of that kind, so check the fit with your actual gift and chosen wrapping method. Examples for gift boxes and bottles can also be found in musubi’s official wrapping guide.
(Source: How to Wrap and Use | musubi)

Read the stated size as the length of one side, not the diagonal. Check the centimetre measurement in the product listing, too, rather than relying on traditional size names such as futahaba, literally “two widths”. Maruwa Shogyo notes that products in sizes outside the conventional standards are also available.
(Source: Furoshiki Sizes and Materials | Maruwa Shogyo)

When in doubt, try a test wrap before buying

If you have a cloth of a similar size to hand, first check whether its corners reach over the box. This is only a rough check of size, however. A thin cloth may tie easily where a thicker one of the same size needs considerably more fabric for the knot.

If you are asking in a shop, bring the item itself, or a note of its length, width and height. When buying online, include the outer dimensions and the wrap you have in mind in your enquiry, rather than simply saying you want to wrap a box.

Check not only that the corners reach, but that the cloth ties without strain, that the ends are not left very short, and that the excess fabric does not spoil the shape. A larger size will not necessarily solve the problem.

Choose a fabric for its look, ease of tying and care needs

When choosing a fabric, look beyond sheen and pattern to thickness, slipperiness and care. Finishes differ even under the same material name, so check each product’s label.

For the person who receives it, a cloth used to wrap a gift is also something to use next. Weighing both how it looks and how easily it can be handled day to day makes the reasons for your choice clearer.

What should you compare between cotton, silk and polyester?

Start by comparing feel, ease of tying and care. musubi describes cotton as durable and easy to tie, and polyester as relatively wrinkle-resistant. Its guidance on pure silk and rayon, meanwhile, warns that water can cause shrinkage and recommends dry cleaning.
(Source: Washing and Care | musubi)

The table above is a starting point for choosing a fabric. Always follow each product’s own label for washing and ironing. musubi also cautions that cotton and polyester can transfer colour through friction while wet.
(Source: Washing and Care | musubi)

Chirimen describes the fabric, not the fibre

Chirimen is not another word for silk. Its defining feature is shibo, the fine crinkled texture on the surface of the fabric.

The Tango Textile Industrial Association describes the technique: tightly twisted yarns are woven in, and the shibo emerges during the scouring process that follows. It also introduces chirimen made from polyester, so the name alone cannot tell you the fibre or how to wash it.
(Source: 5. What Is Tango Chirimen? | Tango Textile Industrial Association THE SILK)

Read a cloth’s description in three parts.

• Use: what the cloth is for, such as furoshiki.
• Material: which fibre it is made from, such as cotton, silk or polyester.
• Fabric and construction: what structure and texture it has, such as chirimen.

When a place of production or a making method catches your eye, read the product description together with the fibre-content label. That turns a visual impression into something you can actually check.

Check how the pattern looks before and after wrapping

A cloth spread flat and a cloth wrapped around a box show different areas. A large central motif may be folded away, while a colour from one corner may surface in the knot.

When choosing, look at wrapping examples as well as flat product photographs. If the design has a direction, or includes lettering, decide in advance which side will face the front.

A 2015 exhibition at the Takasaki Tower Museum of Art presented original artwork for furoshiki from the Miyai collection, alongside the furoshiki themselves. Through works by artists including Munakata Shikō and Higashiyama Kaii, it looked at how a flat picture becomes three-dimensional once it wraps an object.
(Source: Exhibition leaflet (in Japanese) | Takasaki Tower Museum of Art)

If the differences between dyeing methods have caught your interest, see also Kogei Japonica’s guide to Japanese dyeing techniques.

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Japanese Dyeing Techniques: A Guide to Yuzen, Shibori, and Beyond

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/skills/japanese-dyeing/

Yuzen, aizome, shibori — most people have come across these names at some point, but few could explain off the cuff what distinguishes one from another, or where each tradition comes from.Japanese textile dyeing has developed over many centuries, with each region shaping its own techniques and visual sensibilities. The sheer number of traditions can make the field feel difficult to navigate, but with the right framework, the overall picture comes into focus quite naturally.This guide organize...

Start with a simple wrap for boxed gifts

For a boxed gift, learn one basic wrap first, then work on tidying the excess cloth and the knot. Try boxes of different heights, too, so you can tell why a cloth will not tie.

Before adding any embellishment, position the box and let the cloth follow its sides. With a basic wrap, it is easier to see what needs adjusting when the result loses its shape.

Start with the square knot and how to untie it

The square knot, also called a reef knot and known in Japanese as ma-musubi, is the basic way to tie two ends of the cloth together. Tie the left and right ends once, then cross them in the opposite direction for the second tie. Crossing them the same way both times tends to produce a granny knot, which sits differently, so compare your knot with official diagrams or videos at first.

To untie it, don’t tug at the knot from both sides. Instead, pull one end and the cloth attached to it into a straight line, and slide the knot along. musubi shows the square knot and how to untie it in images and video.
(Source: How to Wrap and Use | musubi)

Practise without anything fragile inside. If you know how to untie the knot, you can explain it should the recipient have trouble.

Wrapping a low box, step by step

For a low box, start with otsukai-zutsumi, a basic box wrap in which two opposite corners are folded over the gift and the other two are tied on top. The Ministry of the Environment’s official materials also illustrate it as a basic wrap.
(Source: How to use “Furoshiki” | Ministry of the Environment)

1. Lay the cloth with the patterned side facing down, if it has one, and turn it so the four corners point towards you, away from you, and to the left and right.
2. Place the box in the centre and fold the near corner over it. Lay any long excess along the far side of the box.
3. Bring the far corner over towards you, tucking the tip inside if there is too much.
4. Lift the left and right corners, keeping them close to the sides of the box.
5. Tie a square knot on top of the box, then tidy the excess at the corners and any slack along the sides.

If the cloth puckers partway through, go back and check the box’s position and the folds rather than pulling hard to force the shape. Thin cardboard boxes can deform under pressure, so avoid pressing down on the lid.

What if the cloth won’t tie around a tall box?

First check whether the box has drifted off-centre, and whether too much cloth is going into unnecessary folds. If the ends still don’t reach far enough, reconsider the cloth size or the wrap.

If, on the other hand, the knot is so large that it hides the box, the cloth may be too big or too thick. “Will it tie?” and “Will it sit neatly?” are separate questions.

For taller boxes, don’t rely on finished photographs alone; check the outer dimensions of the box and the cloth used in them. Testing with the method you will actually use is a more reliable guide than working out the size from a single ratio.

Protect bottles and ceramics before wrapping

For bottles and ceramics, check the size after protection as well as the shape and weight before you wrap. Treat wrapping in cloth and the protection needed for carrying or shipping as separate matters.

Cloth can follow a shape, but that alone does not guard against knocks. With fragile items, decide on protection and how the gift will travel before thinking about how it looks.

For bottles, look at height and diameter, not only capacity

Bottles of the same capacity sit differently in the cloth depending on whether they are tall or broad. When buying, check height, maximum diameter and weight as well as capacity.

In musubi’s bottle wrap with a handle, you begin by standing the bottle in the centre of the cloth and tying two diagonally opposite corners at the neck. Cross the remaining two corners behind the bottle and bring them round to the front. Finally, adjust the upper tie and twist the cloth into a handle. The hand movements can be followed in musubi’s step-by-step images.
(Source: How to Wrap and Use | musubi)

The first time you try it, work on a flat, stable surface and make sure the stopper is firmly closed. Even once the handle has taken shape, don’t lift the bottle without checking the cloth and the knot. When moving it, support the bottle itself, for instance with a hand under the base.

To give two bottles together, you can use awase-zutsumi, a two-bottle wrap. In Miyai’s official guide, you lay the bottles on their sides along the cloth’s diagonal, bases facing each other and 4–5 cm apart, roll the cloth around them, then stand them upright and tie. If the bottles differ in shape, check how they fit and how large a cloth you need. Having cloth between the bottles does not necessarily prevent knocks or breakage.
(Source: Awase-zutsumi (Two-Bottle Wrap) | Miyai)

For ceramics, size the cloth to include the box and protection

For ceramic gifts, a simple approach is to keep the box and protective materials from the purchase and wrap the outside in furoshiki. That way you can choose by the box’s dimensions rather than wrapping the piece directly.

If there is no box, ask the artist or retailer about suitable packaging. Handles, thin rims, lids, decorative projections: the places that should not take pressure differ from piece to piece. For any paper or cloth that touches the surface, too, follow the guidance given for that piece.

Cutting back on protection to show off the piece’s outline works against the purpose of the gift. What matters most is that the piece is in good condition when the wrapping is opened.

Hand delivery and shipping call for different packaging

Don’t use a wrap prepared for hand delivery as the outer packaging for shipping. For shipping, use an outer box and protective cushioning so the contents cannot move.

Japanese courier Yamato Transport advises wrapping tableware piece by piece in cushioning, with lids wrapped separately from the body. For bottles, it sets out steps for closing the stopper, protecting the bottle with cushioning and securing it inside the box.
(Source: Packing Basics | Yamato Transport)

When using furoshiki, the basic rule is not to skip this protection for transit. Choose the shipping box by the outer dimensions of the finished wrap, and check that the knot is not pressed hard against the side of the box.

Make it clear when the cloth is part of the gift, and include care notes

If the cloth is part of the gift, say so in a few words. That removes any question about returning it, and gives you a chance to pass on care information and ideas for using it again.

Wrapping in cloth leaves the recipient to decide what to do with that cloth. For the gift to be received comfortably, a clear explanation matters as much as a beautiful finish.

Giving the cloth or taking it home

Decide first whether the furoshiki is simply for carrying the gift, or whether the cloth itself is part of the present.

If it is just for carrying, one option is to take the gift out, hand it over and keep the cloth. If you are giving the cloth as well, hand the gift over still wrapped and say so, which saves the recipient from wondering.

For formal gift-giving, follow the customs and reception arrangements on the recipient’s side. Rather than assuming there is one correct way to hand over a gift, focus on making clear whose cloth it is and what it is for.

Include a message that leaves no doubt

For a personal gift, a short card might read:

“This wrapping cloth is part of your gift, so please keep it. I hope you enjoy using it again.”

For a corporate gift, something simpler works well:

“This wrapping cloth is yours to keep. We hope you enjoy using it again.”

For care, the most reliable approach is to include the product tag or the maker’s guidance. Avoid adding “machine washable” on the strength of the fibre name alone, and do not give a single ironing temperature; follow that product’s label.

Describe reuse without overstating environmental benefits

A furoshiki is wrapping that can be untied and used again. That alone, however, does not mean it always has a smaller environmental impact than paper.

Some paper bags and wrapping paper can also be reused, depending on their condition. A fair comparison would have to account for how the cloth or paper is made, transport, washing, the number of uses and disposal. Without that information, no reduction rate or required number of reuses can be given.

Test a sample before ordering corporate gift wraps

For corporate gifts, decide quantities, wrapping work and delivery alongside the choice of cloth. Wrap a sample using the actual gift, check the presentation and the time required, and then finalise the specifications.

On its official page presenting furoshiki as a packaging material, Maruwa Shogyo shows product examples by fabric and size. When considering cloth for this purpose, give the manufacturer or seller details of the item and your packing requirements, not only the design.
(Source: Furoshiki as Wrapping and Packaging Material | Maruwa Shogyo)

What should you prepare before making an enquiry?

Having at least the following details ready makes it easier to work out the specifications.

“We want to deliver a box of these dimensions, in this quantity, already wrapped” gives a supplier much firmer ground for a quote than “something good within budget”. Confirm minimum order quantities, prices and lead times for each fabric, process and quantity.

Before production, check knot placement, pattern alignment and packing time

When testing a sample, check not only the finished look but also who will wrap and in what order.

Agree on the knot position, the part of the pattern on show and how the card is inserted, and keep photographs of the front and sides so everyone involved can refer to them. If pattern placement or dimensions vary from piece to piece, agree how much variation is acceptable.

Packing time cannot be judged only by how quickly an experienced person wraps one gift. Time the whole process, including spreading the cloth, placing the item, re-tying, inspection and packing into the outer box. The sample serves two purposes: checking the finish, and judging whether the full quantity can be produced without strain.

Include information that keeps the cloth in use

For corporate gifts, give priority to the information the recipient needs over a description of the company. Knowing the material, how to care for it and that the cloth is part of the gift makes it easier to decide to use it again.

When introducing makers or production regions, state specifically the methods and roles you can verify. Knowing who handled the dyeing, weaving, design and sewing deepens understanding of the cloth. As for the logo, picture how it will look not only on the wrapped gift but also when the cloth is spread out and used day to day.

If you are considering developing a product with a workshop, or planning a gift that includes cloth from the outset, you can contact Kogei Japonica’s product development and collaboration service with your aims, intended use, preferred timing and approximate budget.

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Comprehensive Support for Introducing and Producing Traditional Craft Artists...

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/enterprise/client/

Kogei Japonica connects you with vetted professional traditional craft artists and businesses, while our experienced directors oversee the entire production process.

Furoshiki FAQs: Sizes, fabrics and gift-giving

If you are unsure about size, substitute fabrics, washing or how to hand over the gift, go back to the item itself and the product label. The common questions below lead into a final check before giving.

Size and wrapping

Q. What size furoshiki should I choose?

A. Around 45–50 cm for small items, and around 68–70 cm for a box of sweets or a wine bottle, are useful starting points. The size you need changes with the item’s height and the wrap, however, so treat the chart as a guide and confirm with a test wrap.

Q. Why won’t a cloth of the same size tie?

A. Thickness, slipperiness, folding and the item’s position all play a part. Check the placement first; rather than pulling hard, reconsider the cloth size or the wrap.

Q. Can I choose a size for a bottle by its capacity?

A. Not by capacity alone. Check its height, maximum diameter and weight, and the wrap you plan to use.

Q. Is furoshiki on its own enough to wrap ceramics?

A. It may not provide enough protection. Use a box and protective materials, and ask the artist or retailer what packaging suits the piece. Shipping requires separate packing for transit.

Fabric, care and giving

Q. Can I use a cloth or scarf I already have instead?

A. It can work, but check its size, slipperiness, wear and the condition of its edges. Delicate fabrics may show knot marks or damage, so think carefully before using a cloth that matters to you.

Q. Can a chirimen furoshiki be washed?

A. The word “chirimen” alone will not tell you. Check the fibre content and the product label, and care for it as directed.

Q. What should I say when the cloth is part of the gift?

A. A short line such as “This wrapping cloth is part of your gift, so please keep it” makes your intention clear. Pass on any care information that came with the product as well.

Environmental claims and corporate use

Q. Is it better for the environment than paper wrapping?

A. That cannot be said across the board. It depends on factors such as material, manufacture, transport, washing and the number of uses. Keep the fact that it can be reused separate from any claim about environmental impact.

Q. Where should a corporate gift project start?

A. Set out the item’s dimensions and weight, the quantity, preferred dates, shipping method and who will wrap. Test a sample under those conditions, check the finish and packing time, then confirm the specifications before placing the order.

Final checks before giving

• You have measured the dimensions, including any box and protective materials.
• You have wrapped it for real and checked the excess cloth and the knot.
• Ceramics and bottles have the protection they need.
• You have decided whether the cloth is being given or taken home.
• You can pass care information on to the recipient.
• If shipping, you have an outer box and cushioning ready.

Wrapping a gift in furoshiki is about more than making the moment of giving look special. Once untied, a single cloth stays with the recipient. If they reach for it the next time something needs wrapping, the gift has found a new role in their daily life.

The post Japanese Furoshiki Gift Wrapping: Sizes, Wraps and Care first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

The cuff of a favourite shirt has begun to wear through. You would like to mend a small hole, but you are not sure how to choose the thread or a patch. At moments like this, photographs of sashiko or visible mending can be what finally gets you to pick up a needle.

Treat sashiko, boro and visible mending as one and the same, however, and both the cultural background and the choice of repair method become blurred. Below, we untangle the three terms, take surviving garments from Tohoku in northern Japan as a guide, and look at the materials and steps involved in a first mend.

How Do Sashiko, Boro and Visible Mending Differ? Separating Technique, Cloth and Practice

These terms describe different aspects of textile making and repair. Separate them into how cloth is stitched, the textile shaped by repeated use and repair, and how a repair is presented, and the relationship between them becomes clear.

What Is Sashiko? Stitching to Reinforce and Decorate Fabric

Sashiko is needlework that works rows of stitches into fabric for reinforcement, warmth, decoration and more. Besides stitching through several layers of fabric, it also includes the contemporary practice of stitching patterns onto a single piece of cloth.
(Source: Thread, Fabric and Needles | Olympus Thread)

The Cultural Heritage Online entry for the Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments describes a method of finely stitching through layered cloth as part of its account of historical clothing. Today, sashiko is also widely used for pattern-led work such as hanafukin, decorative stitched cloths, and bags.
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Cultural Heritage Online)
(Source: What Is Sashiko? | Olympus Thread)

Beginners practise unshin: the coordinated movement of needle and fabric used to make a steady line of running stitches. Stitching a pattern and repairing a worn garment, however, call for different decisions. Mending requires not only stitching skill but the ability to read how the cloth has deteriorated and how materials will work together.

What Is Boro? Cloth Kept in Use Through Mending and Patching

Understanding boro means looking not only at the stitches but at how the cloth was used. Layers of patches and re-stitching show how the cloth was handled and what had to be made good over time.

Upcycle Stitches, which teaches sashiko, sets out its view as practitioners: sashiko is the process of needlework, and boro is the result that emerges through repetition. This is best read as an understanding grounded in experience rather than a single official definition.
(Source: Difference Sashiko and Boro | Upcycle Stitches)

The term “boro stitching” is also used, but it does not necessarily mean one particular type of stitch. Explaining historical boro separately from contemporary repairs and patchwork inspired by it helps to avoid misunderstanding.

When presenting your own work, you might describe it as “boro-inspired mending”. A newly made piece reflects the decisions of a present-day maker, and there is value in saying how it came about.

What Is Visible Mending? A Contemporary Practice of Showing Repairs

Visible mending is an approach that does not aim only to conceal a repair, but presents the patch fabric and thread as part of the finished piece. The term does not refer to any one country, or to a single traditional technique.

Craftsy, which publishes craft tutorials, introduces repairs that combine patches with embroidery. The thread maker DMC also features darning, which fills a hole with thread, in its visible-mending tutorials.
(Source: Visible Mending: Patching and Embroidery | Craftsy)
(Source: Darned Patches | DMC)

A repair made with sashiko can become visible mending.
Visible mending, however, is not an English translation of sashiko. People mend for different reasons, too: thrift, attachment, decoration, environmental concern and more.

Why Did Boro Emerge? Background from Tohoku Work Clothing

Surviving garments offer a guide to why cloth was used and handed on. In Tohoku there are collections designated by the national government as Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties, preserved as records of regional dress and working life.

The Nationally Designated Sashiko Garments and Work-Clothing Collections

The three collections below, held in Aomori and Yamagata prefectures, are a starting point for understanding how sashiko and work clothing were used. Rather than calling all of them “boro”, it is worth looking at each by its own name and contents.

All three are Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties. Locations and owners follow each official record.
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Aomori Prefecture)
(Source: Nanbu Sashiko Work-Clothing Collection | Aomori Prefecture)
(Source: Shonai Work-Clothing Collection | Cultural Heritage Online)

What these designations bring into focus is the value of the garments as records of people’s lives, alongside the beauty of their patterns and forms. Which parts were reinforced? What shapes of garment were worn for work? Reading how they were used widens the way we look at cloth.

Designation as a cultural property is not the same as being on permanent display. Before visiting, check with the custodian or contact point whether the materials are scheduled to be shown.

From Bast Fibre to Cotton: A Change in Materials

The Cultural Heritage Online entry for the Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments explains how stitching moved from asa (bast-fibre) cloth worked with asa or cotton thread to cotton cloth worked with cotton thread in the Meiji 20s (roughly 1887–1896). Conventional sashiko later declined as kasuri, an ikat-patterned cloth, and similar fabrics became widespread. This should be read as a change within the regions connected with that collection.
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Cultural Heritage Online)

The Shonai work clothing, by contrast, draws on materials including zenmai (a fern), wisteria, asa and cotton, and its methods of making are equally varied, among them sashiko and sakiori. Sakiori, a technique of weaving in narrow strips of torn cloth, differs from sashiko, which stitches through cloth.
(Source: Shonai Work-Clothing Collection | Cultural Heritage Online)

As materials changed, so did what people needed stitching to do. Practicality and decorative invention, however, need not be pulled apart. Seeing the wish to make clothing last and the care taken over patterns as coexisting within the same garment does more justice to the richness of these garments.

How Did Boro Come to Be Seen Differently?

When considering the value of cloth, the work of those who collected and preserved it matters alongside that of the people who wore and mended it. Chuzaburo Tanaka (1933–2013), a folklore researcher from Aomori Prefecture, worked on archaeological excavation and on collecting and studying folk implements.

According to The Museum of Modern Aomori Literature, the Tanaka Collection runs to some 20,000 items, including folk implements relating to clothing, food and housing. Tanaka served as director of the Ogawarako Folk Museum, among other posts, and his books include Tsugaru, Nanbu no Sashikogi (Sashiko Garments of Tsugaru and Nanbu, 2000). The figure of around 20,000 refers to the collection as a whole, not to boro alone.
(Source: Chuzaburo Tanaka | The Museum of Modern Aomori Literature)

Presentations outside Japan are not limited to visual appreciation either. The commentary for “Stitch after stitch”, published in September 2026 by Sweden’s Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, introduces boro and workwear together with their histories of use, repair and reuse.
(Source: Stitch after stitch | Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities)

What Types of Sashiko Are There? Moyozashi, Hitomezashi and Jizashi

The names and classifications used for sashiko vary by region and by teaching source. Modern craft terms such as moyozashi and hitomezashi, and jizashi, a term found in historical records, should not be treated as a single definitive three-way classification.

Moyozashi and Hitomezashi

Moyozashi, or pattern sashiko, builds up a design by following its lines with stitches. Hitomezashi is described as a method in which evenly spaced stitches, worked vertically, horizontally and in other directions, build up a pattern. There is also kuguri-zashi, in which a second thread is passed beneath stitches already made.
(Source: Sashiko Textile Lab | Olympus Thread)
(Source: How to Work Kuguri-zashi | Olympus Thread)

The Cultural Heritage Online entry for the Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments, meanwhile, uses the terms katazashi (pattern stitching) and jizashi (literally “ground stitching”). These are best understood together with the account of how and where the historical garments were used.

In mending, working out how to support the worn cloth and the patch comes before choosing a method by name. Finer stitches do not automatically make a stronger repair; consider the condition of the original cloth, the thickness of the thread and the area to be stitched together.

Printed sashiko cloths are a way into practising needle handling and thread tension. What works on a practice cloth, however, will not necessarily transfer directly to heavy denim or a stretchy knit.

How Kogin-zashi and Hishizashi Relate

Aomori Prefecture’s account presents Tsugaru kogin and Nanbu hishizashi as regional traditions that grew out of stitching for reinforcement as makers developed their patterns. Cultural Heritage Online also records that garments based on diamond patterns were worn as best clothes.
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Aomori Prefecture)
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Cultural Heritage Online)

If you want to learn these regional forms of needlework, choose teaching materials suited to the technique, including how to select cloth and build up patterns. Rather than grouping everything under the broad word “sashiko”, keeping in mind which region and which practice you are learning will deepen your understanding.

What Do You Need for a First Mend? Choosing Materials and Tools

The first things you need are a patch fabric, thread and needle that suit the cloth being repaired, together with tools for cutting and holding the patch in place. Before buying a full set of specialist equipment, try out what you already have on scraps.

Checklist before you mend

• Check the fibre, stretch and care label.
• Look not only at the hole but at the thinned areas around it.
• Think about wearing, bending and washing after the repair.
• Test the patch fabric and thread on scraps.
• Decide whether you want the repair to stand out or blend in.
• For old textiles with a history, or treasured garments, seek advice before working on them.

Thread and Needles: Guidelines for Thickness and Length

Choose a thread that is not too thick for the cloth. Sashiko threads come in different thicknesses, and stranded cotton (No. 25 embroidery thread) can also be used. If substituting, test it, including the number of strands, and check that drawing the thread through does not strain the cloth.
(Source: Thread, Fabric and Needles | Olympus Thread)

Longer is not always better for needles either. Clover’s official tutorial suggests a long needle for straight lines and a shorter one, working a few stitches at a time, for designs with many curves. Match the needle to the thickness of the cloth and to a length you find easy to handle.
(Source: Sashiko Cloths | Clover)

There is no need to aim from the outset at loading many stitches onto the needle at once. Working one stitch at a time, you can still check where the needle enters and how the cloth is responding.

Choosing a Patch Fabric

Choose a patch fabric close to the original in thickness and character. Layering a very heavy fabric over a thin one can leave stiffness or a noticeable ridge. Prioritise a combination that stays comfortable to use after the repair over a material that merely looks sturdy.

MyVisibleMend, which shares repair techniques, likewise advises understanding the properties of the fabric and keeping the weight and thickness of the patch close to those of the original garment.
(Source: Beginner’s Tips for Visible (and Invisible) Mending | MyVisibleMend)

When using a new patch fabric, one option is to check its care label and, if it is washable, wash it beforehand to see how it changes. Pre-washing does not, however, fully prevent later shrinkage or dye transfer.

Colour can be decided by how you want to use the garment. A repair that stands out and one that blends in are both valid choices. Visible mending being in fashion is no reason to feel you must use a contrasting colour.

Sourcing Materials Outside Japan

Searching for “sashiko thread” and “sashiko needle” is a good starting point when looking for supplies. You do not, however, need Japanese-made materials to begin. Without specialist supplies, choose by checking fibre, thickness and compatibility with the needle’s eye.

When looking for a patch fabric, the distinction between woven and knit fabrics is useful. Some woven fabrics also stretch, however, so rather than judging by the label alone, check how the fabric actually behaves.

Trying a Repair: Five Steps to Mending a Small Hole

Work in this order: check the damage, prepare the patch, hold it in place, stitch it down and inspect the finish. What follows is one example of a basic repair, placing a patch on the outside of a garment, the side visible when it is worn, made from a fabric that does not stretch easily.

The reference here is a tutorial published by EILEEN FISHER on stitching a patch over a small area of damage. It is not a lesson in covering a surface with sashiko patterns, but a way into the feel of stitching while supporting the cloth. Try it first on practice fabric you are happy to work on.
(Source: Visible Mending 101: Patching | EILEEN FISHER)

Step 1: Check the Extent of the Damage

Lay the cloth flat and look beyond the hole itself. Whether it is a snag or an area worn thin by repeated friction changes how much needs repairing. Where the cloth has worn through, the area around the hole may be weak as well.

If you wash the garment first, follow its care label; if the damage looks likely to spread, seek advice on the repair method beforehand. Avoid routinely washing old textiles or non-washable fabrics simply as preparation.

Step 2: Prepare the Patch and Tack It in Place

Cut the patch large enough to cover the damage and be stitched to the sound fabric around it. If you will turn the raw edges under, allow for that too. The margin needed depends on the damage, so do not rely on a fixed measurement.

Here, the patch goes on the outside of the garment. Fold the raw edges under, then pin the patch in place or secure it with temporary stitches, and check that spreading the cloth out does not stretch the garment or put it under strain.

Step 3: Mark the Lines to Stitch

Position your stitching where it will hold the folded edge of the patch. If marks are needed, use a fabric marker and confirm where the patch and the original cloth can be sewn together.

Test markers on an inconspicuous spot first. Whether the marks are removed with water or heat varies by product, so follow the instructions on the packaging.

Step 4: Stitch with a Running Stitch (Thread Tension)

Secure the start of the thread on the inside of the garment and work a running stitch around the patch, passing the needle alternately in and out of the cloth. Check which layers the needle is going through so that you do not catch the other side of the garment or a pocket.

After a few stitches, spread the cloth out and check that pulling the thread has not puckered it. Securing the patch without puckering matters more than making the stitches even. If it takes force, reconsider the combination of needle, thread and cloth.

Step 5: Finish the Thread and Check the Result

In the reference tutorial, the end is secured with a backstitch, taken back over the previous stitch, and a small knot. This is one example of finishing a patch repair, not a rule for sashiko as a whole. The hand movements can also be seen in the photographs and video at the link.

Remove the pins and any temporary stitches, then inspect both sides. Check that the patch edges are not lifting, that no long threads are left to snag and that the surrounding cloth is not puckered. For garments worn against the skin, also check how the knots and the extra thickness feel.

Do not judge a repair only at the moment you finish sewing. After wear and appropriate washing, check again for loosened thread, shrinkage, dye transfer and damage nearby. A photograph taken straight after finishing and a note of the materials used will help the next time you mend.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers below treat questions of terminology separately from questions about where a repair method can be used.

Q1. Are sashiko and boro the same thing?

No. Sashiko mainly refers to a stitching technique and practice, and boro to cloth and garments with a history of reuse and mending. How broadly each term is explained does vary between sources and writers.

Q2. Is visible mending a Japanese technique?

It is not a technique belonging to any particular country. It is an approach that leaves repairs on show, using several methods including patching, darning and embroidery. Nor is it an English translation of sashiko.

Q3. Can I use embroidery thread if I don’t have sashiko thread?

In some cases, yes. The thickness changes with the number of strands, so test a combination that suits the cloth and needle on scraps. Even with dedicated sashiko thread, check that it is not too thick for the cloth.

Q4. What fabric or area is best for a first mend?

A cotton practice cloth that does not stretch easily and is not too thick is an approachable choice. On a garment, start with an area that can be laid flat and takes little strain. Thick seam allowances, stretchy knits and widespread wear call for different judgements.

Q5. Is it culturally disrespectful to make my own clothes look “boro”?

There is no reason to regard mending your own clothes as disrespectful in itself. Distinguishing historical boro from your own repairs, and saying which techniques and sources you drew on, is one way of showing respect for that background.

Q6. Where can I see historical boro or sashiko garments?

Clothing collections exist in Aomori, Shonai and elsewhere, but designation as a cultural property does not mean permanent display. Name the specific collection you want to see and check scheduled displays with its custodian or host museum. Not every sashiko garment in these collections counts as boro.

Q7. Does sashiko shrink in the wash?

Depending on the cloth and thread used, it can. Check the care requirements of both the original garment and the added materials, and look for puckering or dye transfer after washing. Pre-washing alone cannot entirely prevent later changes.

What Next? Take a Class, See the Real Thing, Keep Mending

Choose your next step according to what you want to learn. To build needle skills, try a class; to understand the background of the cloth, turn to the historical record; to learn the judgements involved in repair, move on to small practical projects and keep notes.

If you take a class, check whether it covers pattern stitching only or garment repair as well. Confirm whether you may bring your own items, which fabrics are covered, what tools are needed and the fee, including materials. A class described as “sashiko” will not necessarily teach you to mend the clothes you own.

If you want to see the real thing, name the collection when asking about access. Aomori Prefecture’s page for the Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments lists them as not open to the public, with the museum closed, and its page for the Nanbu Sashiko Work-Clothing Collection states that enquiries are required in advance. As these notices are updated from time to time, check the latest status with the contact point before visiting.
(Source: Tsugaru and Nanbu Sashiko Garments | Aomori Prefecture)
(Source: Nanbu Sashiko Work-Clothing Collection | Aomori Prefecture)

If you keep mending, try recording the date of each repair, the materials used, how it felt to wear and how it changed after washing. Not only the patterns that worked but also the reasons for re-stitching will help with your next repair.

Readers interested in reusing materials from a product development or business perspective may also wish to read the following related article.

en.kogei-japonica.com/media

Sustainable Japanese Craft Upcycling: Kintsugi & Boro

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/invest/craft-upcycling/

As the global design industry accelerates toward a circular economy, modern creators are finding profound inspiration in centuries-old philosophies. At the forefront of this movement is sustainable Japanese craft upcycling. Long before "zero waste" became a global mandate, Japanese artisans practiced the art of finding beauty in imperfection and extending the lifespan of materials. Through traditional techniques like Kintsugi (repairing broken pottery with gold) and Boro (patching a...

The post Sashiko vs Boro: Key Differences and a First Mending Guide first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

You may be drawn to her work without knowing the stories behind it. What distinguishes the series, and where can you enquire about buying or exhibiting a piece? This article works through those questions using press coverage around PAD London 2026, alongside official material from the artist, galleries and craft institutions.

This article draws on publicly available sources reviewed on 27 October 2026. It is not a report from the fair or an exclusive interview, and it distinguishes the artist’s statements and documented details from my own interpretation.

Who Is Japanese Ceramicist Noe Kuremoto?

Noe Kuremoto is a ceramicist who shapes clay by hand, linking cultural memory with contemporary life. What sets her work apart becomes clearer when you look not only at what her subjects mean, but at how she turns them into form.

From Osaka to London: Art School and an Indirect Route to Clay

Homo Faber’s profile states that Kuremoto was born in Osaka and studied fine art at Central Saint Martins. The same page explains that she did not study ceramics formally and did not go through a traditional Japanese ceramics apprenticeship.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto | Homo Faber)

Her path, then, differs from the training traditions associated with a particular production region or pottery workshop. That does not mean her connection to tradition is superficial. How an artist learns technique and how an artist interprets cultural references are separate questions.

Her official profile describes an approach that connects myth and memory with contemporary experience. The work can be read as a practice that draws on cultural forms while asking what they mean to her now.
(Source: ABOUT | Noe Kuremoto)

Work Between Art, Design and Craft

There is no need to decide in advance whether Kuremoto’s work is art, design or craft. Look at the hand-building and you see technique; look at the vessel forms and you see a relationship with function; look at the subjects and their background and you see the concerns that drive the artist.

In my view, an artist’s individual voice emerges as much through formal decisions as through the choice of subject. Two artists drawing on the same folk tale will arrive at different work depending on what they keep, what they leave out, and which contours and structures they choose.

The way into Kuremoto’s ceramics is to go one step beyond “she uses Japanese stories” and ask how those stories shape the form of the vessel and the act of making.

What Is PAD London, and How Was Kuremoto’s Work Presented There?

PAD London is a fair for historical and contemporary design. Kuremoto’s work was presented not in a setting confined to craft, but in one concerned with collecting and with how objects relate to space.

PAD London 2026 was held in Berkeley Square, London, from 13 to 18 October. The 13th was the Collectors Preview and the 14th the VIP Opening, with public days from the 15th to the 18th. The fair has now closed, and its content can be revisited through exhibition materials.
(Source: General Information | PAD London)

The organiser describes PAD as a meeting point for design from different periods and fields, showing what is possible in collecting and interiors. For ceramics, it is a setting in which work can be considered not only as form in isolation but in terms of how it reads in a space alongside furniture and lighting.
(Source: London | PAD Fairs)

PIK’D and Galerie Boketto: Showing Across Two Booths

Wallpaper*’s feature names PIK’D and Galerie Boketto as the exhibitors showing Kuremoto’s work. The organiser’s official 2026 catalogue confirms that PIK’D is based in Beirut and occupied booth B7.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto explores Japan’s mythology at PAD London 2026 | Wallpaper*, PAD London 2026 Catalogue | PAD Fairs)

Galerie Boketto presented an exhibition titled “Through and Through”, and its official page lists Crane wife 1, Crane wife 2 and Crane wife 3. The exhibition text approaches density through transparency, reflection and non-repetition, and also turns attention to the time it takes to look at an object.
(Source: Through and Through | Galerie Boketto)

Taking this curatorial approach as a cue suggests a slower way of looking. With ceramics, that means following the contour not only from the front but from the sides and back, and taking in the space around the piece.

How the booth was actually arranged and lit, however, cannot be judged from the exhibition text alone.

What Do the Three Series Featured in PAD London 2026 Coverage Represent?

Crane Wife, Shodō and Jōmon develop references to a folk tale, to calligraphy and to the Jōmon period in distinct ways. Here we look at how they differ in form and in the act of making, as well as in subject.

The series discussed here are the three featured in press coverage of PAD London 2026. When each series began, and when individual works were made or first shown, may differ.

Project Crane Wife: The Crane Wife Tale and the Form of the Vessel

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A post shared by Noe Kuremoto (@noe_kuremoto_studio)

Galerie Boketto describes Crane wife 2 as a hand-built stoneware vessel referencing the folk tale Tsuru Nyōbō, known in English as The Crane Wife. Its elongated contour recalls a bird, and each numbered work is described as an individually made one-off.
(Source: Crane wife 2 | Galerie Boketto)

One way in is to look at where the bird-like form and the structure of the vessel overlap. How does a narrow section lead into the fuller body of the vessel? Which way does the opening face? Return to images of the work after reading the story, and the contours begin to read differently.

Being drawn to the form without knowing the story is an entirely natural first encounter. Interest in the form leads to the story, and the story sends you back to the form; that movement back and forth is how a relationship with the work deepens.

What Is the Folk Tale Tsuru Nyōbō?

The Tottori Prefectural Museum’s commentary on local folk tales draws on the classification in Nihon Mukashibanashi Taisei, the folklorist Keigo Seki’s standard catalogue of Japanese folk tales, to outline the plot of Tsuru Nyōbō: a rescued crane becomes a man’s wife in human form, weaves cloth at the loom, and leaves once her true identity is discovered. The version recorded on the same page features an elderly couple instead, showing that the story has been told in more than one form.
(Source: Tsuru no Ongaeshi (Takahashi, Daisen) | Tottori Prefectural Museum)

Knowing the story is not the same as knowing which version the artist drew on. A better anchor is what the gallery and the artist themselves say, with questions of devotion, transformation and parting explored through the form.

Project Shodō: Making Guided by Calligraphy

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A post shared by Noe Kuremoto (@noe_kuremoto_studio)

Homo Faber’s page for Shodō describes it as sculpture hand-built in black stoneware and high-fired. It presents the work as arising from a habit of making one piece each day, and as valuing small actions repeated over time above the pursuit of perfection.
(Source: Shodō | Homo Faber)

With this series, rather than searching for resemblances to particular characters, try following the sequence of forms and the changes of direction as movements of the hand. Attention can then go both to the finished object and to the act that produced it.

The reference to calligraphy concerns the act of forming; drying and firing still follow as separate stages of the ceramic process.

Turning Limited Studio Time into Daily Practice

Speaking to Wallpaper*, Kuremoto described how little time she has for making while raising children, and a daily practice of handling clay as if drawing in the air.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto explores Japan’s mythology at PAD London 2026 | Wallpaper*)

I read in this a decision to shape a working method around the demands of daily life. It is not only how much time can be given to the work, but what is done in that time and how it is sustained, that sets the terms of expression.

If the value of handwork is measured only by the hours spent on it, decisions like this become hard to see. Repetition, setting limits and adjusting one’s expectations of finish are also choices that keep a practice going.

Jōmon: Bringing the Jōmon Period into Present Experience

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A post shared by Noe Kuremoto (@noe_kuremoto_studio)

The official press release for 5VIE Design Week 2026 describes the Kuremoto works presented in “JŌMON: A Mother’s Anthem” as sculptural stoneware vessels. The exhibition was curated by Anna Carnick and takes the complexities of motherhood as its subject.
(Source: 5VIE Design Week 2026 Press Release | 5VIE)

The artist’s own description of JOMON 9 Contemporary Fertility Vessel likewise records her interest in ancient vessels and her thoughts on mothers, children and the ties between generations. Her interpretation reflects her own experience of motherhood; it should not be taken as an explanation of what Jōmon pottery originally meant.
(Source: JOMON 9 Contemporary Fertility Vessel | Noe Kuremoto)

Seen this way, the question is less how faithfully the past has been reproduced than what in the past caught the artist’s interest, and how she carried it into the present.

Finding new meaning in the culture of the past always involves an artist’s individual choices. Reading those choices is what allows Jōmon to be understood as the expression of one artist, rather than as an illustration of history.

Distinguishing Design, Production and Exhibition Dates

The Shodō listed on Homo Faber is dated 2023, while Ateliers Courbet gives Shodo V as “Circa 2024”, and Boketto lists Crane wife 2 as “Designed 2025”. Entries for different works and different years cannot be merged into a single date for an entire series.
(Source: Shodō | Homo Faber, Shodo V | Ateliers Courbet, Crane wife 2 | Galerie Boketto)

Exhibition year, production year and the year a series began are three separate pieces of information. If you are collecting or exhibiting a work, ask for the documentation for that specific piece, together with its official title and number.

Material details in the table apply only to the works each source covers.

What Cultural References Run Through Kuremoto’s Earlier Work?

References to dogū and haniwa offer a thread for following Kuremoto’s practice over time. The meaning she finds in them, as protective presences, belongs to her work rather than to the documented uses of the archaeological objects.

Homo Faber’s artist page lists works including Dogu Lady, Haniwa Warrior and Shimekazari. Following related works, and not only those shown in a single exhibition, reveals the subjects she returns to.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto | Homo Faber)

Dogu Lady: From Dogū to Contemporary Images of Women

The opening of Studio Potter’s published article introduces Dogu Ladies as a series inspired by the female dogū figures of the Jōmon period.
The article focuses on the relationship between the work and contemporary experiences of womanhood and motherhood.
(Source: In Conversation with Noe Kuremoto – Contemporary Womanhood, Craft, and Dogu Ladies. | Studio Potter)

The link to motherhood comes from the artist, not from dogū themselves. Archaeological objects and contemporary work that refers to them each have their own context.

The Tokyo National Museum presents dogū as tools of prayer from the Jōmon period, but that alone does not make every dogū an amulet for childbirth. What Kuremoto finds in them is her own expression.
(Source: Dogū: Tools of Prayer in the Jōmon Period | Tokyo National Museum)

Haniwa Warrior: The Artist’s Wish for Protection in This World

In an artist statement published by Ferrara Showman Gallery, Kuremoto writes of her hope that her haniwa will protect the souls of those of us living in this world. The statement confirms her own intention for the work.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto / Artist Statement | Ferrara Showman Gallery)

Her words suggest a practice that does not simply borrow forms from the past, but entrusts her own hopes to them. Through these references to antiquity, she brings within reach the questions of what we want to be protected from, and how we want to live.

What Makes the Work Distinctive in Terms of Material and Technique?

To understand how the work is made, it helps to look separately at forming method, material, firing and surface. How the clay was handled is as much a guide to the work as the story behind it.

Hand-Building: Coils and Slabs

Homo Faber states that Kuremoto forms her work mainly by hand, using coil-building and slab-building. Coil-building stacks ropes of clay; slab-building joins flat sheets of clay together.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto | Homo Faber)

With this in mind, attention can go beyond the overall silhouette to how the parts connect: the relationship between opening and body, the elements that project outward, the interior space.

The finished form will not always reveal the exact process behind it. Asking “how was this part made?” rather than assuming the answer makes any questions you put to the artist more precise.

What the Documentation Reveals About Firing and Surface

For Shodō, Homo Faber’s documentation confirms that the work was high-fired. That listing alone, however, does not reveal the type of kiln or the detailed firing conditions.
(Source: Shodō | Homo Faber)

Photographs alone may not reveal how a surface feels, whether it is glazed or how the clay body contributes to its appearance. Check the work’s description and ask the artist or gallery about any details that matter to you.

If the texture of a surface interests you, for example, look at close-up images or ask for documentation of the making. Establishing what produces that surface does more for an understanding of the work as craft than adding descriptive adjectives.

Understanding Material Labels: Stoneware and Earthenware

Listings for contemporary ceramics use terms such as ceramic, stoneware and earthenware. Keeping to the exact wording of each work’s listing shows precisely what has been confirmed for that piece.

For Crane wife 2, the official listing supports describing it as stoneware. Extending a material named for one work to an entire series, or to all of the artist’s output, is best avoided.

A material label does not establish how a piece can be used. A work described as stoneware may be intended for display rather than for holding water, serving food or standing outdoors. Check the care and use guidance for the individual work, including any glaze or surface treatment.

For terms relating to the materials and techniques of ceramics and other crafts, see this glossary (in Japanese).

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Complete Glossary of Japanese Traditional Craft Terms

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/feature/glossary/

【Complete version】Complete Glossary of Japanese Traditional Craft TermsMetalwork - KinkoMetalwork refers to the techniques of processing metals to create decorative items and crafts. In Japan, these techniques have been used since ancient times for swords, Buddhist implements, and tea ceremony utensils, with skilled artisans passing down sophisticated techniques through generations. Metalwork includes various methods such as casting, forging, metal carving, and inlay, each with distinct cha...

Reading the Coverage: The Artist’s Voice and Editorial Interpretation

Coverage of an artist is easier to understand once you separate who is speaking and what they are describing. The artist’s statements, editorial framing and sales information each serve a different purpose.

Separate the Artist’s Words, the Media’s Interpretation and the Sales Description

The artist’s own words help in understanding intent; gallery materials help confirm a work’s specifications and its relation to an exhibition. Media features offer a way in to the work.

Every source, however, leaves questions it cannot answer alone. An artist’s cultural interpretation is not historical proof; media coverage is not evidence of sales; and a past exhibition page does not guarantee current availability.

On the Claim That Apprenticeship Is the Only Route

Descriptions of Japanese ceramics training in press coverage help in understanding the artist’s own experience and how she perceived it. That experience, however, is not an account of education in Japan as a whole.

In Japan, there are routes into ceramics beyond training at a pottery workshop, including university study. Kyoto City University of Arts offers a ceramics major, as does Kyoto Seika University. Restricting the ways of learning to become an artist to a single path is not accurate.
(Source: Faculty of Fine Arts: Departments and Majors | Kyoto City University of Arts, Ceramics Major, Faculty of Arts | Kyoto Seika University)

Respecting the artist’s experience while checking institutional facts against other sources serves two ends at once: understanding the artist, and conveying the culture accurately.

A Checklist for Reading Artist Profiles

• Have you separated the artist’s statements from the explanations of writers or sellers?
• Have you avoided confusing an article’s publication date with a work’s production year?
• Have you checked the title and number of the individual work, not just the series name?
• Have you distinguished cultural references from historically established facts?
• Have you separated what a photograph shows from what needs to be checked in person?
• Can you describe the form and making of the work in terms other than “Japanese”?
• Have you confirmed current exhibition and sales status through official contacts?

Where Can the Work Be Seen? Frequently Asked Questions

Up-to-date information on the work is available on the artist’s official website and from the galleries handling individual pieces. If you are considering buying or exhibiting a work, setting out the title and your intended use before you enquire will lead to a more focused discussion.

Homo Faber’s profile notes that visits are by appointment and that English and Japanese are spoken. If you wish to visit, confirm current arrangements and the location in advance.
(Source: Noe Kuremoto | Homo Faber)

Q1. Who is Noe Kuremoto?

An Osaka-born ceramicist. She studied fine art in London and, through hand-building, makes work that connects cultural memory with present-day experience.

Q2. What materials and techniques does she use?

Hand-building methods, including coil-building and slab-building, are documented. Materials vary by work, but Crane wife 2 and the Shodō listed on Homo Faber are both described as stoneware.

Q3. What is PAD London?

A London fair for historical and contemporary design. The 2026 edition ran from 13 to 18 October and has now closed.

Q4. How does she bring dogū and haniwa into her work?

She reinterprets them as contemporary expression, connected with her own experiences and hopes. The uses of the archaeological objects and the meaning she gives her work are distinct.

Q5. Where can I see or buy her work?

Through the artist’s official website, or the galleries handling the works you are interested in. Past exhibition listings may not reflect current availability, so include the title or URL of the work when you enquire.

Q6. Can the pieces be used as vases or tableware?

This cannot be judged from vessel form or material label alone. Check suitability for water and food, display conditions and care with the artist or the gallery offering the piece.

Q7. Do you have to serve an apprenticeship to become a ceramicist in Japan?

Apprenticeship is not the only route. Ceramics can also be studied at university, for example on ceramics programmes. One artist’s experience is not an account of education in Japan as a whole.

What to Clarify Before Enquiring About Purchase or Exhibition

If the background of a work resonates with you, consider also the setting in which you would see it or place it. Thinking about the surrounding space and viewing distance brings out questions that photographs alone cannot answer.

Up-to-date information on the work is available on the artist’s official website.
(Source: Official Website | Noe Kuremoto)

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Closing Thoughts

The work of Japanese ceramicist Noe Kuremoto takes folk tales and ancient forms as a starting point for thinking about present-day life and the act of making. If coverage of PAD London 2026 first brought her to your attention, the next step is to set the forms of individual works against the background the artist herself describes.

What did she draw on? How did she turn it into form? What is it about the work that draws you in? Kogei Japonica’s view is that pursuing these questions through concrete sources is what connects looking, collecting and conversation with the artist.

The post Japanese Ceramicist Noe Kuremoto: Crane Wife, Shodō, Jōmon first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

Some readers will have come across the word shokunin in English-language media and wondered how Japanese craftsmanship is being represented abroad. For companies hoping to bring craft techniques into product development, how they understand a craftsperson’s work also shapes how a collaboration unfolds.

The starting point is a business essay published in Fortune in October 2026. Taking that argument as a way in, we look at the production conditions that sustain Japanese craft, and at concrete examples of skill transfer through AI and digital technology. Rather than simply reporting how Japan is praised abroad, we ask what makers need for their work to continue.

How Did the Fortune Essay Portray “Shokunin”?

The Fortune essay maps the craftsperson’s work onto business management. The first thing to note is that it is not an investigative report on the craft industries but a commentary in which the authors draw lessons for business.

Published on 18 October 2026, the essay is by Matt Alt and David Schonthal. It uses the Japanese idea of the craftsperson as a lens for thinking about how companies work. Below, we separate those business proposals from what can be verified about production in Japan.
(Source: Move slow and make things | Fortune)

Four Principles, Illustrated Through Business Examples

The film above, about the denim maker Japan Blue Jeans, is included as separate context; it is not one of the companies discussed in the Fortune essay. The essay itself discusses deepening expertise, refining taste, working over the long term and taking responsibility for one’s work, illustrating each with a company example. The examples range widely, from Shimano’s bicycle components and denim production to YKK’s zips and Zildjian’s cymbals.

The value of this framing is that it does not confine the craftsperson’s work to a specialised world, but opens it up as a question that a wide range of organisations can ask. At the same time, the same idea will be put into practice differently depending on an organisation’s scale, equipment, funding and business relationships.

To apply it to collaboration with a workshop, the conclusion that expertise should be deepened is not enough. One also has to consider how to ensure a steady volume of work and enough time to learn, since these are what build that expertise.

The Question at the Heart of the Essay

When considering automation, is an organisation giving up capabilities it has always valued? This question can also be brought to bear on Japanese craft.

That said, there is no need to decide from the outset that a task will never be automated. A more practical approach is first to establish what quality a process produces, who assesses it and what they look for. The tasks that can be assisted can then be separated from the judgements that still need a person to check them.

What matters in craft is not only the number of processes done by hand, but the ability to judge quality, and the chance for the next generation of makers to acquire that ability.

How Does the Essay’s View of Shokunin Compare with Work in Japan’s Craft Workshops?

To apply business thinking to craft, the division of labour in production regions and the supply of materials and tools need to be added to the picture. The attitude of an individual or a company and the production conditions that make the work possible should be considered together.

It is important not to read the absence of detailed explanation in the essay as neglect or misunderstanding on the authors’ part. The discussion becomes richer if we separate the essay’s purpose from the information a specialist craft publication should supply.

From Business Principles to Workshop Practice: A Comparison

The table below is a framework for carrying business thinking over into work with workshops and production regions. The conditions to check and the commentary in the right-hand columns are the editors’ own proposals.

In-house production and division of labour are not a choice between taking responsibility and avoiding it. Whether a company handles a process itself or works with outside specialists, quality standards and coordination are needed.

Public explanations of Wajima-nuri, the lacquerware of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture, for example, describe specialist stages such as making the kiji, or wooden base, lacquering and kashoku, or decoration. They also describe the role of the nushiya, the lacquer house that oversees production as a whole. It is a system that divides expertise while bringing it together into a single product.
(Source: The Division of Labour Behind High Quality | Wajima-nuri Online Shop (in Japanese))

For a closer look at Wajima-nuri decoration, the difference between chinkin, in which gold is laid into lines incised in the lacquer, and maki-e, in which designs are made with metal powder sprinkled onto wet lacquer, is a useful next step.

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Chinkin: Japan's Engraved-Gold Lacquer Technique Explained

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/skills/chinkin/

You may have come across the word "chinkin" on a museum label or in the description of a lacquerware piece — and found yourself uncertain what it actually meant. "How is it different from maki-e?" "I know it has something to do with Wajima lacquerware, but what makes it distinct?" These are reasonable questions to carry around half-answered.This article draws on primary sources to explain what chinkin is, how it compares with maki-e and kinma, how it relates to W...

Applying Corporate Lessons to Craft Regions and Workshops

When applying corporate examples to small workshops, the idea and the conditions for carrying it out have to be considered together. The scale at which an organisation can invest in equipment, and how long it can sustain prototyping, differ from one organisation to the next.

A specification change that seems minor to the client may mean the maker has to re-order materials or start again from an earlier stage. Expecting that a craftsperson will simply find a way does not solve the problems of time and cost.

When explaining to audiences outside Japan, too, it is better not to rely on the word shokunin alone to convey value, but to show concretely the processes a maker handles, their judgements about materials and the people they work with. Not overstating a uniquely Japanese spirit makes it easier to share the substance of the work with makers and designers in other countries.

Definitions: Shokunin, Craftsperson and Designated Traditional Craft Products

Official designation, the appeal of individual works, a maker’s ability and suitability as a collaboration partner are related but separate judgements. Whether or not something is designated cannot decide the full value of a craft.

What Production Conditions Determine the Future of Japanese Craft?

Exercising skill depends on access to materials and tools, and on time for both production and training. Alongside the maker’s attitude, attention needs to go to these underlying conditions.

Photographs of finished objects rarely show the effort of sourcing materials or the work of maintaining equipment. But anyone considering whether a commissioned piece can continue to be made needs to look at that less visible work as well.

Japan’s Traditional Craft Industries in Figures

According to materials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) dated July 2026, the traditional craft industries they cover employed around 48,000 workers in fiscal 2022 (Japan’s fiscal year runs from April to March). In the same year, people aged 50 or over made up 63.6% of that workforce. Production value is described as having fallen below ¥100 billion in fiscal 2016 and as declining since. These figures apply to the scope of the materials and do not cover craft or contemporary studio practice as a whole.
(Source: METI briefing materials, July 2026, p. 5 | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (in Japanese))

The figures show that securing people to make the work and carry it on is a major challenge. National totals alone, however, cannot tell us the situation of an individual region or workshop. A business with growing orders may still face constraints on people or materials, and the reverse is also possible.

When considering a collaboration, a company needs not only information on the craft industries as a whole but also to ask about the conditions under which the partner workshop is currently working.

Without Tools and Materials, Skill Alone Cannot Make the Work

The same materials also include comments from production regions, among them a decline in toolmakers, growing difficulty repairing equipment and rising material prices. One response describes maintaining second-hand looms and securing parts to keep them in use. These are individual circumstances reported in a survey; they do not mean that no new looms of any kind are being made.
(Source: METI briefing materials, July 2026, p. 14 | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (in Japanese))

If we value the use of old equipment and tools, our view has to extend to the people who can repair that equipment and to the supply of parts. Respect for craft skill that is directed only at the people who make finished objects cannot take in the whole of the work.

Division of Labour Is Not a Weakness but a Sharing of Expertise

Division of labour makes it possible to combine the work of people with specialist skills. On the other hand, depending on a process for which there is no substitute means that if that process stops, production as a whole may be affected.

That does not mean everything should be concentrated in a single workshop. What is needed are ways of sustaining the network: sharing information with partners, keeping work flowing, knowing where repairs can be done and handing over to the next generation.

“Whose absence would bring this work to a standstill?” The question is useful not for identifying a master, but for understanding the relationships that support production, including people whose names never appear on the finished object.

How Can We Sustain the Systems That Support Skill, Not Just a Single Master?

Sustaining skill requires not only training makers but conditions that allow material suppliers, toolmakers and repair specialists to continue their work. It is important to distinguish the names that appear on finished objects from the roles behind them.

Makers’ Signatures and the Work Behind Them

A maker’s signature or mark, known as mei, together with the inscription on a tomobako, a wooden storage box bearing the maker’s inscription or signature, can help identify the maker and the work. Yet people whose names do not appear on a finished object may also support its production.

Division of labour, however, does not prevent a work from being attributed to a named artist. Who shaped the form and who handled each process needs to be established for each work and each production set-up.

The Traditional Craft certification label, which carries the official Traditional Craft mark, should likewise be understood as indicating that a product has passed inspections carried out by production-region cooperatives and similar bodies. It confirms different things from an artist’s mark or a box inscription, and should not be taken as a blanket guarantee of a work’s value or of every aspect of its performance.
(Source: What Are Traditional Craft Products? | Niigata Prefecture (in Japanese))

Selected Conservation Techniques and Support for Toolmakers

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Selected Conservation Techniques system selects traditional techniques and skills that are indispensable to the conservation of cultural properties and require protective measures, and recognises their holders and preservation groups. Besides recording the techniques, it also covers training those who will carry them on.
(Source: Selected Conservation Techniques | Agency for Cultural Affairs (in Japanese))

This system concerns the conservation of cultural properties; it is not a general certification covering every workshop or technique. Even so, its approach of supporting not only finished objects but the techniques that make their conservation possible matters when thinking about craft.

Among private initiatives, Ginowa and the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries have launched Kaji Support (kaji means blacksmith), which aims to secure a stable supply of hand-forged tools. Its newsletter, published in 2025, describes activities in which production regions share challenges around equipment, materials and training.
(Source: Kaji Support Times Vol. 1 | Kaji Support Secretariat (in Japanese))

Problems that sit outside a workshop cannot be fully grasped by any one workshop. Connecting the people who use tools with those who make them, and with material suppliers, is itself part of the work of keeping production going.

AI and Digital Technology Are Supporting Skill Transfer in Japanese Craft

Japanese craft projects are using and testing several kinds of digital technology, from AI tools for accessing expert knowledge to systems that support pattern design and haptic technology that records touch and force. Their purposes and stages of development differ, and it is important to distinguish them.

“Turning skill into data” can mean quite different things: mapping the relationships between words, calculating the arrangement of a pattern or reproducing the sensations felt in the hand. The right method depends on what is to be passed on.

AI and Digital Technology for Skill Transfer: A Comparison

In the Nanbu tekki example, Tayama himself explains how he uses a brain model built from interviews with experienced craftspeople. It is used, for instance, to follow related words and documents and to think through the causes of casting defects. This can be read less as a wholesale replacement of the craftsperson’s judgement than as a means of accessing the knowledge that judgement requires.
(Source: A New Form of Skill Transfer Woven by AI and People | Hitachi Linking Society (in Japanese))

In the Edo komon example, Bunkyo Gakuin University describes systematising the theory of pattern design and developing programs to support pattern arrangement. Its July 2026 announcement also notes that “Sweets Zukushi Komon”, a pattern by Saotome Senkojo, was commercialised in May 2024. It is an example that went beyond a proposal and into actual production.
(Source: Announcement of an exhibition on skill transfer through “AI × Edo Komon” | Bunkyo Gakuin University / PR TIMES (in Japanese))

In CrafTouch, work to record and reproduce touch and force is taking place at Ikutouen, a pottery producing Tsuboya ware in Okinawa. The wider collaboration began with a workshop in 2022, but the work focused on pottery dates from April 2024. Haptics, the technology at its centre, deals with bodily sensation and is not the same thing as AI.
(Source: Exhibition announcement from a collaborative project on digital skill transfer in traditional crafts | Japan Kogei Sanchi Association and partners, published by Keio University (in Japanese))

Placing the three side by side shows that there is more than one way to pass on skill. Separating knowledge that can be organised in words, work that can be supported by calculation and sensations that need to be confirmed through the body makes it possible to think concretely about what technology can do.

How to Read the Results

That a tool is in use, that a product has been commercialised and that a tool has been shown to improve learning are three separate facts. The experience of one workshop cannot show that the same effect will occur in other production regions.

The examples in the comparison table also sit at different stages: use in practice, commercialisation, and research and development. Any claim about shorter training periods or effects on productivity requires checking the evaluation method, the point of comparison and the period covered.

Before skill data is recorded, it is also essential for everyone involved to discuss its purpose, who will use it, whether it will be shared externally and how much of it will be made public. Consent to record and consent to use for another purpose should be confirmed separately.

Which Processes Should Companies and Workshops Leave to Human Judgement?

Where to introduce AI or automation should be decided by looking at each process’s quality, how it is checked and the effect on opportunities to learn. In collaboration with a workshop, both parties also need to agree on prototyping costs, delivery dates and who will approve the work.

Rather than choosing a tool first, writing down where the difficulties lie, process by process, makes the purpose clearer. Is the aim to help sort enquiries, to share an expert’s explanations or to support pattern design? Each one changes who checks the results, and how.

A Checklist for Identifying Processes That Need Human Judgement

• Can you explain the quality or function the process is responsible for?
• Have you separated the judgement criteria that can be recorded from those that must be checked on the actual object?
• Do you know who makes and repairs the tools, and where the materials come from?
• Have you identified processes with no alternative maker or supplier?
• Will changing the workflow affect the opportunities younger makers have to learn?
• Have you decided the purpose of using AI or digital technology, and how its results will be assessed?
• Have you agreed what skill-related data and customer information may be entered into digital tools, and who may access it?
• Have you decided who is responsible for the final quality judgement and for corrections?

Material supply and equipment maintenance outside the workshop are problems that are difficult for any single company to solve. The purpose of taking stock is not to find fault with weak points but to make clear whom you need to work with.

A Worksheet for Reviewing Processes and Judgements

In meetings, filling in the following items for each process helps to organise the points that need discussion. There is no need to force answers for items still undecided; instead, note who should be asked.

When generated images are used to discuss how a finished piece might look, make clear whether they are reference ideas or production specifications. Shapes and textures on a screen cannot always be reproduced in the actual object, and adjustments suited to the materials and techniques need to be discussed with the workshop.

For Companies and Workshops Considering Collaboration

At the first meeting, a company should set out the intended use, where and how the product will be used, the desired quantity, the budget and the delivery date. It should then separate the aspects on which the workshop is invited to make proposals from the conditions that cannot change.

In particular, discuss the costs of prototypes and revisions, quality samples and the final approver early on. Rather than leaving it at “handmade, so pieces will vary”, share which differences are acceptable and which would cause problems for the intended use.

For photography and publicity, confirm the publication of finished pieces and the disclosure of production processes separately. How makers and collaborators are credited should also be agreed as part of the production.

If you are considering a collaboration with a workshop, or coverage related to skill transfer, please outline the intended use and what you would like to discuss, and contact us through the Kogei Japonica enquiry form (in Japanese).

Makers who would like their work and activities introduced can also visit the craft artist and artisan registration page (in Japanese). Registration and a basic profile listing are free and subject to review. A listing or introduction to projects is not guaranteed.

FAQ

Q1. Does shokunin simply mean “craftsperson”?

“Craftsperson” or “skilled artisan” is usually a workable translation. Its nuance varies with context, so it helps to explain what the person makes and which processes and skills they handle.

Q2. Does the international discussion of shokunin explain Japanese craft as a whole?

A single business essay cannot explain Japanese craft as a whole. It is best read as a proposal for companies, supplemented by an understanding of the division of labour in production regions, materials and tools, and each workshop’s production conditions.

Q3. Will AI take craftspeople’s work?

The examples discussed here are not enough to judge the overall effect on employment or work. There are cases of use for sharing skills and supporting production, but the processes involved, the purpose and the effect on quality need to be examined case by case.

Q4. How are AI and digital technology being used in Japanese craft?

In Nanbu tekki, an AI system for sharing expert knowledge has been described; in Edo komon, support for pattern design. In pottery, there is research into recording and reproducing touch and force, but this haptic technology cannot simply be called AI.

Q5. What should be considered when using the idea of craftsmanship in product descriptions?

Rather than relying on spirit alone, describe the materials, processes, people involved and judgements made in concrete terms. Do not present work made through a division of labour as if one person made it all, and do not describe experiences that have not been verified through first-hand reporting.

Q6. What should a company check first when collaborating with a workshop?

Share the intended use, quantity, budget, delivery date and the quality required, then discuss prototyping costs, the scope of revisions and who approves the work. Also confirm how skill data and footage of production will be handled, and how the makers will be credited.

Q7. Are designated traditional craft products the same as traditional crafts?

No. Designated traditional craft products (dentōteki kōgeihin) is a term tied to designation under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. Traditional crafts (dentō kōgei) is a broader, general term. Designation alone cannot determine the full value of an individual work.

Conclusion

In the AI age, thinking about shokunin is not simply a matter of deciding whether people or machines do a task better. It means asking what counts as quality, who makes that judgement and how the next generation learns to make it.

Kogei Japonica wants to keep in view both the appeal of finished objects and the network of people whose work makes them possible: those who prepare materials, those who remake tools and those who link one process to the next. Seeing that network is what allows respect for craftspeople to become concrete action.

Turn praise into time for prototyping, clear quality checks and commercial terms both sides can accept. These steps, taken one at a time, are what allow craft skills and expression to carry on into the next piece of work.

The post Shokunin in the AI Age: What Sustains Japanese Craft first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

Is karakuri woodcraft the same thing as yosegi marquetry? Is Kyoto cloisonné a kind of pottery? Even after reading the names in the news, it may not be obvious what kind of work produces these crafts.

Once you understand the materials and how a piece is made, you begin to notice different details in the finished work. This guide compares the techniques behind the three crafts, explains what the designation means, and sets out what to check when viewing, buying or commissioning work.

How Do the Three Newly Designated Crafts Differ?

The key differences lie in how each craft works its materials: mechanisms in wood, shaping in bamboo, and enamel fused onto metal. Separating material, technique and use reveals distinctions that the names alone do not show.

Comparing Materials, Techniques and Uses

Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft, from Kanagawa Prefecture south-west of Tokyo, uses carefully fitted moving parts to create a mechanism. Kyoto bamboo craft (Kyō take kōgei) is best understood through two kinds of work: splitting bamboo into fine strips and weaving them, and shaping sections of bamboo stem while keeping their natural form. Kyoto cloisonné (Kyō shippō) creates colour and pattern by fusing vitreous enamel, a glass-based material, onto a metal base in the kiln.

The products listed are representative examples. The “Where to start looking” column is the editorial team’s suggestion based on the technical documentation; it is not a standard for ranking individual works.
(Sources: Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square, Kyoto Bamboo Craft | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square, Kyoto Cloisonné | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

The action of a karakuri mechanism and the colours of cloisonné cannot be measured on the same scale. Knowing what each technique achieves lets you move beyond “intricate” or “beautiful” and engage with the work more closely.

To look up terms for materials and techniques, our glossary of traditional craft terms (in Japanese) is a useful reference.

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Complete Glossary of Japanese Traditional Craft Terms

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/feature/glossary/

【Complete version】Complete Glossary of Japanese Traditional Craft TermsMetalwork - KinkoMetalwork refers to the techniques of processing metals to create decorative items and crafts. In Japan, these techniques have been used since ancient times for swords, Buddhist implements, and tea ceremony utensils, with skilled artisans passing down sophisticated techniques through generations. Metalwork includes various methods such as casting, forging, metal carving, and inlay, each with distinct cha...

What Does This “Designation” Mean?

The designation is made by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. With these three additions, the number of designated crafts nationwide has reached 247.
(Source: Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft Designated as a Traditional Craft | Odawara City)

To be designated, a craft must meet several requirements: it is used mainly in daily life, the principal stages of production are done by hand, it uses traditional techniques and materials, and it is produced within a defined region. The system also supports work such as training successors and developing demand, carried out by production areas that draw up a promotion plan and have it approved.
(Sources: On the Designation of Traditional Crafts | Kyoto Prefectural Government, The Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries | The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries)

A new designation does not mean that a technique was born on that day, or that its value has been recognised for the first time. Before the national designation, Kyoto bamboo craft and Kyoto cloisonné were already included in Kyoto Prefecture’s designated “Kyōmono” crafts and in Kyoto City’s list of traditional industries.

Each is a separate system run by a different authority; the same designation is not being counted more than once.
(Sources: Traditional Crafts of Kyoto Prefecture | Kyoto Prefectural Government, Traditional Industrial Products Designated by Kyoto City | Kyoto City)

This designation is also separate from the designation of Important Intangible Cultural Properties and the recognition of their holders. As the Agency for Cultural Affairs explains, Important Intangible Cultural Properties are skills of high historical or artistic value, and the individuals or groups who embody them at the highest level are recognised as holders. Designation as a traditional craft is not the same as recognition as a Living National Treasure.
(Source: Intangible Cultural Properties | Agency for Cultural Affairs)

Hakone-Odawara Karakuri: Understanding the Mechanism

The key to Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft is how the parts move and how they make the mechanism work. Considering it separately from the yosegi pattern reveals the different kinds of work layered into a single piece.

Karakuri Mechanisms and Yosegi Decoration Are Not the Same Thing

Yosegi-zaiku, or wood marquetry, creates patterns by combining woods of different colours and grain. Besides shaving the patterned blocks into thin sheets and applying them to a surface, makers also work the assembled wood itself into objects such as bowls.
(Source: Yosegi Marquetry, the Hatajuku Settlement and the Ichirizuka Milestones | Japan Tourism Agency Multilingual Commentary Database)

In karakuri woodcraft, what counts is the mechanism set in motion by handling the piece. A secret box decorated with yosegi therefore brings together two kinds of work in one object: making the pattern and building the opening mechanism.

The scope of Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft, however, cannot be limited to square secret boxes with yosegi patterns. Odawara City describes it as sashimono, or joinery-based woodwork, comprising a wide range of products, including various karakuri boxes, kumiki interlocking puzzles and trick objects.
(Source: Overview of Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft | Odawara City)

The official website of the Karakuri Creation Group also shows a variety of works that look like wooden ornaments. Not being able to tell from the outside how a piece opens is part of the pleasure of getting to know this craft.
(Source: Karakuri Boxes | Karakuri Creation Group)

Our guide to the making methods and patterns of yosegi (in Japanese) covers the craft in more detail.

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Hakone Yosegi-zaiku: The Art of Japanese Marquetry - A Complete Guide to Its ...

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/yosegizaiku/

Hakone Yosegi-zaiku is a traditional Japanese craft from the Hakone region of Kanagawa Prefecture, known for its beautiful geometric patterns in woodwork. This intricate craft involves combining different types of wood to create patterns, supported by highly skilled craftsmanship. Beyond the beauty of its detailed patterns, it's also known for playful designs like puzzle boxes with hidden compartments.This article will explain in detail the history of Hakone Yosegi-zaiku, its techniques,...

Grain, Drying and Movement: What Keeps the Mechanism Working

The published technical requirements include adjusting the direction of the grain to suit the structure of each product, drying materials thoroughly, and fine-tuning the resistance of the moving parts. The idea behind a mechanism matters, but so does working with the wood’s grain and moisture content to make it function.

Techniques are specified for two types: “aruki-structure products”, which use the sliding movement of parts, and “drawer-structure products”, in which the outer and inner boxes physically lock together.
(Source: Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft: Techniques | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

When viewing a piece, avoid treating invisible joins or a large number of moves as the only measures of quality. Each work has its own intentions for mechanism and form. Comparing the movement you expected from the shape with the movement that actually happens will tell you more about the work.

When handling a piece, follow the guidance of the maker or the exhibition staff. Never force anything, and ask which parts may be moved and what to be careful of; this is part of engaging with the work.

Kyoto Bamboo Craft: From Bamboo Strip to Finished Form

Kyoto bamboo craft is best understood through both of its techniques: weaving baskets and shaping sections of bamboo stem. Look at the finished form, then consider how the bamboo was prepared to make it.

Distinguishing Weaving from Shaping the Stem

The technical requirements for Kyoto bamboo craft set out separate making methods for flower baskets and bamboo flower vases.

For flower baskets, bamboo is split, the strips (take-higo) are adjusted in width and thickness, and they are woven and finished at the rim. For bamboo flower vases, the listed work includes cutting the bamboo, deciding where to place the opening and finishing the cut surfaces. With the same material, assembling fine strips and making use of the stem’s tubular form and nodes lead to quite different approaches to shape.
(Source: Kyoto Bamboo Craft: Techniques | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

One point that is easily confused is the relationship between Kyoto bamboo craft and Kyō-meichiku. Kyō-meichiku does not simply mean untreated bamboo. Kyoto Prefecture describes it as the collective name for four types of finished bamboo: shiratake, zumen-kakuchiku, kikkōchiku and gomadake. Growing the bamboo and finishing its shape and surface character involve skills of their own, and the material is used in architecture, decoration and bamboo craft, among other things.
(Source: Kyō-meichiku | Kyoto Prefectural Government)

Bamboo has already passed through skilled hands before it becomes a finished piece. When looking at Kyoto bamboo craft, asking which bamboo was chosen and how it was worked reveals labour that the weave alone cannot show.

How Much of the Process Can You Read in a Finished Weave?

When looking at a flower basket, try following a single strip with your eyes before learning the names of weaves. Where does it overlap, where does it change direction, and how does it reach the rim? Moving from part to whole makes it easier to see pattern and structure together.

Uniform strip widths and spacing are not universal measures of quality. What deserves attention depends on the weave and the form it creates. Look not only at the fineness of the weave but also at larger open spaces, the overall outline and the way the rim is resolved.

With a vase made from a section of stem, the position of the nodes, the shape of the opening, and the relationship between the bamboo’s surface and the overall proportions are all clues worth observing. Even so, not every stage of making can be read from the exterior alone. Asking “How did you decide on this form?” brings you closer to the maker’s judgement.

If you plan to arrange flowers in a piece, check whether it has a water container and how it should be used. Rather than assuming care methods from the general properties of bamboo, ask how to care for the piece’s particular construction and finish.

Kyoto Cloisonné: How Metal and Enamel Work Together

Kyoto cloisonné creates colour and pattern by fusing vitreous enamel onto metal. Understanding how the underlying metal relates to the surface decoration, not just the colour, is where viewing begins.

How Does It Differ from Ceramics or Glass?

To understand Kyoto cloisonné, it helps to start by asking what it is built on. Even when the surface has lustre and colour, its structure is not the same as that of ceramics, or of works formed from glass itself.

The designated specifications for Kyoto cloisonné set out a process in which sheet metal is formed into a body, a ground coat of enamel is applied and fired, and the work then proceeds to decoration, further firing and polishing. Gold, silver and copper are listed as the metals used for the body.
(Source: Kyoto Cloisonné: Techniques and Materials | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

When viewing a piece, first take in the colours and patterns, then look at the outline of the vessel or jewellery, and finally notice how the design follows the contours of the piece. This is a way of seeing the work not only as a flat pattern but as decoration applied to a three-dimensional surface.

How Does Wired Cloisonné Relate to the Wider Kyō Shippō Tradition?

Wired cloisonné is a technique in which patterns are formed with metal wire. The technical requirements for Kyoto cloisonné describe a process of selecting the height and thickness of the wire, shaping the pattern with it, placing it on the body and firing.

That description, however, is conditional: it applies “in the case of wired cloisonné”. The craft name Kyō shippō and the technique of wired cloisonné are not interchangeable. The technique used in any given piece needs to be confirmed.
(Source: Kyoto Cloisonné: Techniques | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

When looking at wired cloisonné, rather than judging whether every wire is the same thickness, consider how the placement and thickness of the wires shape the colours and patterns. Following the boundaries between colours makes the composition of the design easier to see.

Kyoto Prefecture’s designation announcement also refers to the improvement of enamels by Gottfried Wagener in the Meiji era and the development of wired cloisonné by Namikawa Yasuyuki. Tracing this history shows how the craft refined its expression by taking in knowledge from outside.
(Source: Overview of Kyoto Cloisonné | Kyoto Prefectural Government)

When explaining the craft to international audiences, using “enamelwork” as the broad term for shippō and “cloisonné enamel” for wired cloisonné helps avoid confusion about technique. Beyond translating the name, it is important to convey the making method itself, which brings together metal and vitreous enamel.

What Should You Check When Viewing, Buying or Commissioning?

When choosing a piece, check its intended use, handling, repairs and production conditions as well as your own taste. Turn what you have learned from the comparison table into specific questions for the maker.

Start with One Piece and One Question

There is no need to learn all three crafts in detail from the start. “I’m curious about the opening mechanism.” “I’m drawn to the outline of the bamboo.” “I want to see cloisonné colours in person.” Choosing just one of these interests is enough.

If you are thinking of buying, decide whether you want to display the piece, use it every day or give it as a gift. Once the purpose is clear, the list of things to check becomes shorter.

Labelling as a nationally designated traditional craft and the attachment of a traditional craft certification label (dentō shōshi) to an individual product should also be checked separately. The Association explains that products must meet the conditions of the designated techniques, materials and production region, and that the certification label is attached to products that pass the production area’s inspection standards.
(Source: The Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries | The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries)

News of the designation alone does not tell you the specifications of an individual piece or whether it suits your purpose. You need both to confirm the labelling and to discuss how the piece will be used.

For Corporate Use, Define the Purpose and Care Conditions First

For corporate gifts or for use in hotels and shops, describing the setting where the piece will be used, as well as your interest in the craft, makes the conversation more concrete.

A piece that visitors will pick up and one displayed in a case call for different handling and care. With gifts, too, considering whether recipients will understand how to use the piece, and whether instructions can be included, makes selection more precise.

• Use: who will use it, where and how.
• Production conditions: quantity, dimensions, target delivery date and any custom requests.
• Budget: what the budget covers, including the work itself and costs such as delivery and installation.
• Care conditions: installation environment, how often it will be touched and who is responsible for day-to-day care.
• After purchase: what you want to confirm about repairs, adjustments and replacements.
• Communications and international needs: permission to use photographs, English descriptions and the need for overseas shipping.

As a guide to the scale of each production area, materials published in October 2026 list 12 businesses with a combined workforce of 31 for Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft, 26 companies with 127 for Kyoto bamboo craft, and 14 companies with 44 for Kyoto cloisonné. These figures, however, cannot be used to judge the capacity or lead times of individual workshops. Share the conditions of your project and confirm what can be accommodated.
(Sources: Number of Businesses and Workers in Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft | Odawara City, Overview of Newly Designated Crafts | Kyoto Prefectural Government)

If you are considering product development or craft commissions for interiors with artists and workshops, clarify your intended use and requirements, then see our services for businesses.

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Japanese Craft Services for Business

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Kogei Japonica helps businesses, organizations, artisans, and local governments work with Japanese craft through sales development, artist collaborations, creative projects, product sourcing, and rentals for exhibitions, photography, and interiors.

How Kyoto Crafts Appear in Contemporary Spaces

Connections between craft and contemporary spaces are already taking concrete form.

The Kyoto City Transportation Bureau has created display spaces introducing materials from traditional industries in the “Omoiyari Area” of its new Series 20 trains on the Karasuma subway line. According to a 2023 notice, the fifth trainset displays actual pieces of Kyō-meichiku, Kyoto bamboo craft and Kyoto cloisonné, presenting bamboo weaves and cloisonné works connected with everyday life.
(Source: Traditional Industry Material Displays in the “Omoiyari Area” (Fifth Trainset) | Kyoto City Transportation Bureau)

This example predates the new designation. It is also a presentation within a protected display space and does not show that the same works can be used directly as interior finishes.

Even so, creating a place to present craft on public transport offers a useful reference for planning. Beyond deciding where to place a piece, consider what you want viewers to know. A short explanation of materials and making methods can turn a work that catches someone’s eye into a starting point for interest in the technique.

Common Questions About the Three Newly Designated Crafts

The designation system, differences in technique, and the conditions for buying or commissioning are best checked separately. Below, we set out what can be answered in general and what needs to be confirmed for individual pieces.

FAQ: Designation, Techniques and Choosing a Piece

Q1. When were they designated, and under what system?

They were designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry on 22 October 2026, under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. The three crafts are Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft, Kyoto bamboo craft and Kyoto cloisonné.
(Sources: Announcement of New Designation | Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Designation of Kyoto Bamboo Craft and Kyoto Cloisonné | Kyoto Prefectural Government)

Q2. Are Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft and Hakone yosegi marquetry the same?

The two names point to different techniques. Karakuri woodcraft centres on mechanisms, while yosegi marquetry centres on making patterns by combining woods. In some products, such as a secret box decorated with yosegi, both techniques are used in a single piece.

Q3. Does Kyoto bamboo craft refer only to bamboo baskets?

Not only baskets. The technical requirements cover the shaping of bamboo flower vases as well as flower baskets. Looking at both the weaving of strips and the shaping of the stem makes the craft easier to understand.
(Source: Kyoto Bamboo Craft | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

Q4. Is Kyoto cloisonné a type of ceramics?

No. Unlike ceramics, it is a craft in which vitreous enamel is fused onto a metal body. Looking at the underlying material, not just the surface colour, makes the difference easier to see.

Q5. Does every Kyō shippō piece use metal wires?

Do not assume so from the craft name alone. The technical requirements describe the wired process conditionally, so ask the maker which technique a particular piece uses.
(Source: Kyoto Cloisonné | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

Q6. Can the new designation be taken as a guarantee of a piece’s price or quality?

News of the designation alone is not enough to judge an individual piece. Check who made it, its materials and specifications, the basis for its labelling and the repair arrangements, then decide whether it suits your purpose.

Q7. Can I commission corporate gifts, product development or work for interiors?

That depends on the workshop, the piece and the conditions of the project. Clarify the use, quantity, target delivery date, budget and environment, then contact the maker or seller.

Official Information and Related Articles to Read Next

For more detail on making methods and production areas, the pages for each craft on Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square set out their techniques, materials and principal production regions.
(Sources: Hakone-Odawara Karakuri Woodcraft | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square, Kyoto Bamboo Craft | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square, Kyoto Cloisonné | Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square)

For a hands-on encounter with karakuri woodcraft, Kanagawa Prefecture announces that visitors to KOUGEI EXPO in KANAGAWA, held at PACIFICO Yokohama from 7 to 9 November 2026, will be able to try opening karakuri boxes. Please check the latest programme details before your visit.
(Source: New Designation Announcement and Karakuri Box Experience | Kanagawa Prefectural Government)

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KOUGEI EXPO Kanagawa 2026: Japan's Traditional Craft Guide

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/events/kougei-expo-kanagawa-2026/

In November 2026, KOUGEI EXPO in KANAGAWA, the national exposition of Japan's designated traditional crafts, comes to Kanagawa Prefecture for the first time. The main event, open to the general public, runs from Saturday 7 to Monday 9 November at Pacifico Yokohama, and admission is free.If you have seen the name but are unclear on when, where and what actually happens, or if you want to know what to look for when crafts from across the country are gathered in one hall, this guide is for ...

To see historical works of Kyoto cloisonné, the Namikawa Yasuyuki Cloisonné Museum is one option. Its autumn special exhibition explores the techniques of Namikawa cloisonné and runs from 15 September to 20 December 2026. Please check the official information for closing days and admission conditions before visiting.
(Source: Events and Schedule | Namikawa Yasuyuki Cloisonné Museum)

Craft artists and makers interested in having their work featured or promoted can find our support services here (in Japanese).

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Support for Japanese Craft Artists & Artisans

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/personal/

Kogei Japonica supports craft artists, artisans, craftspeople, and studios through profile and portfolio features, product sales, market development, editorial coverage, and connections with buyers, media, and businesses.

The designation of Hakone-Odawara karakuri woodcraft, Kyoto bamboo craft and Kyoto cloisonné offers new ways into these works. Rather than choosing by name or designation alone, ask: How does it move? How was it given its form? What lies beneath the colour? Those questions lead to work that the finished exterior does not reveal on its own.

Our aim at Kogei Japonica is to help readers move from learning a name to understanding the decisions behind a piece. Choose one that interests you, and start with a single, specific question.

The post Newly Designated Japanese Crafts: Wood, Bamboo, Cloisonné first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

Which pieces are for sale, and can you take one home on the day you buy it? For first-time visitors, it may not be clear which works are available or when they can be collected. Alongside the dates and booking arrangements, this guide explains the two categories of work and how each is sold, how prices are set, and what to check so that you choose pieces that suit the way you live.

Exhibition details and sales arrangements are based on this year’s official information and the 2026 application guidelines. Where these sources do not give specifics, such as individual payment or shipping terms, this is noted in the relevant section.

When and Where Is the Japan Folk Crafts Museum Exhibition 2026?

The exhibition runs from Sunday 22 November to Thursday 17 December 2026. Closure days during the run, and the dates when the West Hall is open, should be checked separately.

Dates, closure days and West Hall open dates are taken from this year’s exhibition page; admission fees come from the museum’s official visitor information. Visitors with a disability certificate and one carer pay a reduced fee of ¥750 each on presenting the certificate.
(Source: New Works Competition and Exhibition 2026 (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)
(Source: Hours, Closures and Admission (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

The museum is open on Monday 23 November, a national holiday, and closed the following day, Tuesday 24 November. Rather than assuming that closures always fall on a Monday, check your intended date.

The West Hall is the former residence of Soetsu Yanagi, and its hours differ from those of the Main Hall. On its open dates, it is open from 10:00 to 16:30, with last admission at 16:00. If you plan to see both buildings, allow for the West Hall’s earlier last admission time.
(Source: Hours, Closures and Admission (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

The museum is a seven-minute walk from the West Exit of Komaba-todaimae Station on the Keio Inokashira Line, or a fifteen-minute walk from the East Exit of Higashi-kitazawa Station on the Odakyu Line.
(Source: Access (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Do You Need to Book? In 2026, Timed Entry Applies Only to the First Two Days

Timed-entry booking for general visitors applies to 22 and 23 November, with bookings opening at 10:00 JST (UTC+9) on Sunday 1 November. Group visits are covered by a separate advance-booking requirement.

Days that require booking, and days that do not

According to this year’s official information, only the first two days of the exhibition operate on an online, timed-entry, advance-booking basis. From 25 November onwards, days when the museum is open fall outside this timed-entry system.
(Source: New Works Competition and Exhibition 2026 (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Members and invitation-ticket holders should check the guidance provided when bookings open. Do not assume that booking arrangements from previous years still apply; always refer to the 2026 page.
(Source: Hours, Closures and Admission (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

How to book, and what to watch for

Once bookings open, follow the booking method set out on the official exhibition page. The official information does not currently specify the time slots, whether payment is taken when you book, or how changes and cancellations are handled.

• Decide on your date, preferred time and the number of people in your party.
• Find the booking method via the official page and read the conditions.
• After booking, keep a record of the date and time, and of anything you will need at reception on the day.

An entry booking does not reserve a work for you. If there is a piece you hope to buy, check separately whether it is still available and how to buy it.

Should you visit on the first two days or later?

Choose your date according to the booking requirement and your own schedule. How visitor numbers will develop in 2026, and whether any stock will be replenished, have not been confirmed, so it cannot be said that the first two days offer the widest choice or that later dates will be quieter.

Under the 2026 application guidelines, however, nyūsen (selected) works remain on display for the full run. You can plan to see them later in the exhibition, but being able to see a work is not the same as being able to buy it. Whether each piece is still available needs to be checked individually.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Can You Buy the Works on Display? How Sales and Collection Work

Nyūsen works can be reserved for purchase and remain on display throughout the exhibition; jun-nyūsen works can be bought on the day of your visit. The key is to check separately when you can buy a piece and when you can collect it.

Nyūsen and jun-nyūsen works

The jury assigns each entry to a category. The museum distinguishes between nyūsen (selected works) and jun-nyūsen, works that were not selected for nyūsen status but meet the exhibition’s aims. Being selected is not the same as receiving a prize.
(Source: Information for Prospective Exhibitors (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Display and sales arrangements are based on the 2026 application guidelines. Do not assume that “available to buy on the day” means every piece can be carried home that same day.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

The jury’s assessment is a useful guide when looking at the work. But whether a piece fits on your table or in your cupboards, and whether its care requirements fit your routine, is for the person who will use it to decide. Rather than choosing by category alone, consider how well a piece suits your daily life.

Who sets the price?

Under the 2026 application guidelines, exhibitors must state the sale price on the submission form. Works not for sale are not accepted, and Japan’s consumption tax, similar to VAT or sales tax, is added to the price specified by the exhibitor.

In addition, 30% of the sale price is taken as a commission and used to fund the running of the exhibition. How prices will be shown on the labels in the galleries has not been confirmed, so check the total amount payable when you buy.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Payment, taking work home and shipping

The official information and application guidelines do not set out payment methods or shipping terms for visitors. Before buying, check the following points.

• Which payment methods are accepted, and the total amount payable.
• When payment is due for a nyūsen work, and the collection date.
• Whether you can take the piece home that day, or need to have it shipped.
• Where the museum can ship to, the shipping costs and the packing conditions.
• Whether there are limits on the number of purchases, or set procedures for buying.

If you are buying while travelling, it is essential to know whether you can receive the work before you return home. Do not assume that delivery to your hotel or shipping overseas is available; check first. Enquiries can be made before your visit by telephoning the Japan Folk Crafts Museum on +81-3-3467-4527 (03-3467-4527 from within Japan).
(Source: New Works Competition and Exhibition 2026 (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

What Should You Check Before Buying? Five Points for Choosing Pieces You Will Keep Using

Check five things: size, care, how you will use the piece, how you will receive it, and who made it. Trust what draws you to a piece, but also picture your life with it at home. That is what leads to a purchase you feel sure of.

If it is a bowl, what will you serve in it? If it is a basket, what will it hold? If it is a textile, where will it be used? Settling on a single use makes the dimensions and handling you need much clearer. Moving from “I’ll use it someday” to “I’ll use it tomorrow morning” makes the choice easier.

Pre-purchase checklist

• I have checked the booking conditions and closure days for my visiting date.
• I know the dimensions of the space where the piece will sit or be stored.
• I have thought about what the piece is for and how often I will use it.
• I have checked the materials, the finish and how to care for it.
• I have checked the total amount payable and the payment method.
• I have checked the collection date and how the piece will be carried or shipped.
• I have noted the maker’s name, the title of the work and who to contact after purchase.

Pens and other writing instruments that use ink are not permitted in the galleries. Bring a pencil for notes, and take photographs only in permitted areas. Visitors are also asked not to bring large bags into the building.
(Source: Gallery Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

What to check for ceramics, textiles, wood and lacquer, and bamboo and basketry

Ceramics: as well as size and intended use, check for each piece whether it is suitable for the microwave or dishwasher. If you would like to see the kōdai, the foot ring, or the underside of a piece, ask a member of staff first. As a rule, do not lift or turn over pieces on display without staff permission.

Glaze effects, crazing and iron spots can be appreciated as keshiki, the surface variations that contribute to a ceramic piece’s visual character. Even so, do not treat anything that affects use in the same light. If something concerns you, check it against the description of the work.

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How to Read the Foot (Kōdai) of Japanese Pottery

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When you pick up a bowl or plate, the first things you notice are usually its colour and form, the painted decoration, and the character of its glaze (yūyaku). But if you want to look a little more closely at a studio piece or an older ceramic, try turning it over gently, just once.The foot, or kōdai, is the supporting part formed at the base of a vessel. Beyond the foot itself, looking at the footring's contact surface (tatamitsuki), the trimming, the clay, the glaze, the traces left by...

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Crazing, Iron Spots & Pinholes: Flaw or Character?

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/pottery-crazing-flaws/

Have you ever bought a piece by an independent maker, found fine crack-like lines, black dots or tiny holes on the surface, and worried that it might be faulty?To put it plainly: crazing (kannyū), iron spots (tetsupun or iron flecks), pinholes and the like cannot be judged as "faulty" or "returnable" simply because they exist. In technical terms they are sometimes treated as defects; in other cases they are deliberately incorporated as part of a maker's expression, or...

Woven and dyed textiles: check the intended use and dimensions, and how the piece should be washed and stored. Do not judge how to handle it from the name of the fibre alone; refer to explanations that also cover the dyeing method and finish.

Woodwork and lacquerware: check how the piece should be treated when you first start using it, how to wash and dry it, and whether it suits the place where you plan to keep it. It is also worth asking at the time of purchase where to turn if you would like it repaired.

Bamboo work and basketry: check not only the external dimensions but also the internal space and shape. Baskets and sieve baskets need to be carried in a way that will not crush their form.

Why an Exhibition That Sells? The Open-Call Tradition Behind the Exhibition

The New Works Competition and Exhibition is an open-call show that presents crafts made for daily life and helps them reach a wider public. Getting work into the hands of people who will use it, through sale, is built into what the exhibition does.

In its guidance for exhibitors, the museum also uses the word hanpu, which carries the sense of distributing things widely. Recognising beauty in the gallery, and trying an object out in your own life: the exhibition can be understood as a system that links the two.
(Source: Information for Prospective Exhibitors (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

The format since 1953, and how judging works

The Japan Folk Crafts Museum has held exhibitions of newly made crafts since it first opened. The current format dates from 1953, and the exhibition took its present Japanese name, Nihon Mingeikan-ten, in 1959.
(Source: About the New Works Competition and Exhibition (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

The 2026 jury is chaired by Naoto Fukasawa, director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and a product designer. Judging takes place in two stages: a first round by category, followed by a second round in which the whole jury takes part. Glass is judged within its own category, while fields that fall outside the categories, such as metalwork, paper and basketry, are judged by the full jury.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Knowing who sits on the jury, and how they work, helps in thinking about the perspective from which the exhibition selects its objects. There is no need, though, to turn the jury’s results directly into your own order of priorities when buying. It is worth using their assessment as a guide while keeping your own judgement as someone who will use the piece.

Finding out more about makers and stockists

Noting the maker’s name, region and workshop for any piece that catches your eye gives you a way to look into the background of their work after the exhibition. Keep any instructions and receipts from your purchase together with these notes.

Whether you can buy more, arrange repairs or place an order varies from maker to maker and from one point of sale to another. An open-call exhibition that values objects capable of being made again does not mean that the same piece will always be available.

When planning an exhibition with works for sale, it helps to separate the display period from collection and to state the terms of sale clearly, considering both how the pieces will be displayed and how buyers will receive them. Points to check when buying crafts through a gallery are covered in the following article.

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Buying Japanese Craft at Art Fairs: A Collector's Guide

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/events/kogei-art-fair-2026/

"I would like to buy a piece of craft, but galleries feel intimidating." "Even at an art fair, I would not know what to judge a work by." These are common concerns among first-time buyers.Kogei ranges from vessels and tools used day to day to works made to be looked at, in which material and technique are the means of expression. Because the materials and handling differ from painting or photography, a first purchase calls for attention not only to price but to technique, ...

Frequently Asked Questions

Booking, sales and collection are separate matters. It helps to distinguish what the official materials tell you from what you need to check when you buy.

Can I visit without booking?

Timed-entry booking for general visitors applies to 22 and 23 November. Later days when the museum is open are not covered, but group visits are subject to a separate advance-booking requirement.

When do bookings open?

At 10:00 JST (UTC+9) on Sunday 1 November 2026. Once bookings open, follow the method set out on the official exhibition page.
(Source: New Works Competition and Exhibition 2026 (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Does an entry booking secure the work I want?

No. Booking entry and buying a work are separate processes. Check whether each work is still available, and how to buy it, separately.

Is everything on display for sale?

The application guidelines state that works not for sale are not accepted and that entries are sold. Whether an individual piece is still available, including pieces already reserved, needs to be checked. This does not mean that everything on view, such as works from the museum’s own collection, is for sale.

Are nyūsen and jun-nyūsen works bought differently?

Yes. Nyūsen works stay on display throughout and are reserved for purchase. Jun-nyūsen works can be bought on the day of your visit. Check the conditions for taking pieces home and for shipping separately.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

When can I collect a nyūsen work?

The official materials do not specify the collection date or method for buyers. Check with the museum before buying.

Can I pay by card, or have work shipped?

This is not confirmed in the official information. If you need either, including overseas shipping, check with the museum before buying.

Does the price include consumption tax?

The application guidelines state that consumption tax is added to the price specified by the exhibitor. Check how prices are shown on the labels, and the total amount payable, when you buy.
(Source: 2026 Application Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Can I handle a work to examine it?

Do not touch pieces on display without staff permission. The museum’s standard visitor guidelines prohibit touching exhibits.
(Source: Gallery Guidelines (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

In Summary: Choosing Pieces You Will Want to Keep Using

Before visiting the Japan Folk Crafts Museum exhibition in 2026, start by checking the booking conditions for your chosen day. If you buy a work, confirm not only its category but also the payment and collection terms.
(Source: Visiting conditions and latest information (in Japanese) | The Japan Folk Crafts Museum)

Craft makers and artisans who would like a profile listing, or to have their work and activities featured, can find details on the registration page.

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Register as a Craft Artist or Artisan

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Apply to join Kogei Japonica as a craft artist or artisan. Registration and basic profile listings are free. Share your work, skills, and experience with audiences, media, galleries, and potential collaborators in Japan and worldwide.

The post Japan Folk Crafts Museum Exhibition 2026: Booking & Buying first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

A piece that caught your eye in a photograph can feel quite different once it is in your hand. Equally, qualities you could not see simply by looking may become clear as you raise a cup to your lips.

If you are looking for tableware in Kasama this autumn, it helps to know not only how to reach the venue but also how to judge a piece in use and what to ask the person who made it. This guide covers the essentials, from the event outline and what to check before buying to how to prepare for getting your pieces home.

Note: event and transport details were checked on 26 October 2026. Before visiting, please confirm any changes through the official announcements of the organisers and transport operators.

When and where is Tou to Kurashi 2026?

The video above was made for the 2023 fair, so some details may differ this year. The 2026 fair runs from Saturday 31 October to Tuesday 3 November, a public holiday, in the event area at Kasama Craft Hills. It closes earlier on the final day, so check the times against your plans for the journey home.

Event details and what to check before you set out

Tou to Kurashi grew out of a wish to see more handmade pottery brought into everyday life. This year marks its 14th edition, with each maker exhibiting and selling Kasama ware, including new work.

(Source: Tou to Kurashi 2026 | Official website)
(Source: Access | Tou to Kurashi 2026)

Before setting out, check the venue map, along with how to sign up for any activities you want to join, their fees and any changes due to the weather. The admission fee and rain policy could not be confirmed from the official information reviewed for this article.

Look at the social media accounts linked from the official website as well. Knowing where the stalls and activities you want to visit are located makes it easier to plan your day.

Don’t confuse it with Aki-ichi, the Autumn Market

Around the same time, the Kasama Ware Cooperative Association holds its own Autumn Market, known as Aki-ichi. However, Tou to Kurashi and Aki-ichi are separate events held at different venues.

Tou to Kurashi takes place in the event area at Kasama Craft Hills, while Aki-ichi is held at the event plaza of Kasama Art Forest Park. Because both are in the same park, don’t choose your destination on the strength of “Kasama pottery fair” alone. Check the event name and the venue name together.
(Source: Announcement of the pottery fair “Tou to Kurashi. KASAMA” | Kasama Craft Hills)

What can you learn by trying a cup?

Using a piece draws your attention to how it sits in the hand and how the rim feels against your lips, things its appearance alone won’t reveal. Putting what you notice into words shows you what to ask the maker before buying.

Try a cup at the Toukura Café with your daily routine in mind

The Toukura Café, where drinks are served in cups made by exhibiting potters, is scheduled again for 2026. The food and drink listing shows “Toukura Café + LE MIDI” on all four days of the fair. What sets the café apart is that you can use the pieces with a drink in them, rather than only looking at them on a display stand.
(Source: Announcement of the pottery fair “Tou to Kurashi. KASAMA” | Kasama Craft Hills)
(Source: Food and drink vendors | Tou to Kurashi 2026)

As you drink, rather than grading whether a cup is “good”, picture your own everyday cup. Is it for the coffee you have in the morning, or the tea you linger over between tasks? The size and handle that feel right will depend on how you plan to use the cup.

Notice the weight with a drink inside, how your fingers fit the handle and how the rim feels against your lips. Remember even one small difference, and your conversations at the sales stalls will become far more specific.

That said, this does not mean every piece on sale can be tried. Check at the café counter how cups are chosen and whether there is a charge, and if you find one you like, note the maker’s name and the shape.

Watch potters at work at Tsukuru ga Mieru

Tsukuru ga Mieru, meaning “see the making”, brings visitors closer to the making process through workshops and demonstrations. It also appears in the 2026 event announcement. Check the individual listings for times, how to take part and fees.
(Source: Announcement of the pottery fair “Tou to Kurashi. KASAMA” | Kasama Craft Hills)

Watching a potter at work reveals more than technical skill. Where do they thin the walls, and where do they leave them thicker? Shaping a piece involves decisions about both use and expression. Seeing the process turns the vague “why this shape?” you feel in front of a finished piece into a specific question.

During the fair, the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum is also running a collaborative activity, Keramon’s Playland. It includes a chance to hold and touch makers’ tableware, a drawing workshop and a ring toss, and is free to join. It opens at 09:30, which differs from the start time of the fair as a whole. The drawing workshop ends each day once that day’s supply runs out.
(Source: Keramon’s Playland | Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum)

Treat the items offered for hands-on experience and the pieces displayed at sales stalls as separate things, and follow the guidance for each.

Look up makers in the official exhibitor list

The official website lists the makers exhibiting in 2026. Cross-referencing names that interest you with the venue map will help if you want to return to a stall later.
(Source: Exhibitor list | Tou to Kurashi 2026)

If names are hard to remember, you can, with permission, photograph a piece and add a note of what drew you to it, such as “cup with a round handle” or “deep dish with a white interior”.

The Kasama Ware Cooperative Association likewise presents diversity of expression as a defining feature of the area. When choosing tableware, rather than assuming “it’s Kasama ware, so it can be used this way”, look into the piece in front of you.
(Source: About Kasama ware | Kasama Ware Cooperative Association)

For more on the area’s history and the background to its range of expression, see the related article below.

kogei-japonica.com

笠間焼（かさまやき）とは？自由な発想が息づく伝統陶芸の魅力と特徴 | 工芸ジャポ...

https://kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/kasama-ware/

茨城県笠間市を中心に生まれた笠間焼（かさまやき）は、伝統に縛られない自由な発想と多彩な表現が魅力の陶芸です。江

How do you choose tableware for everyday use?

Choosing tableware is easier when you start from the meals and drinks of your everyday life. Let your taste guide you, while also checking weight, capacity and storage space.

Compare how it feels to hold, drink from and set down

Ease of holding is not a matter of lightness alone. The shape of the handle, where your fingers rest and whether you can hold the piece naturally all play a part. At the café, pay attention to how a cup feels with a drink inside.

With plates and bowls, think too about how you usually carry them. With one hand, or with both? Picturing the trip from table to sink reveals a kind of fit quite separate from appearance.

Before lifting, turning over or stacking a piece on display, ask the exhibitor first. Never put displayed pieces to your lips; judge how a rim feels at the café instead.

Even if a cup you liked at the café belongs to the same series as one on sale, the size and finish may not be identical. Check the specific piece you are buying.

Think about washing, drying and putting it away

It is easy to picture a piece on the table, and just as easy to overlook how it will be handled afterwards. For tableware you want to use every day, factor in how you will wash and dry it and where it will live.

Before you go, measure the diameter of the plates you use most and the height of your shelves. A vague condition such as “not too big” becomes a concrete one: “it fits on this shelf”.

Balance what you love with practical considerations

For each piece that catches your eye, try putting into words one reason it attracts you and one practical consideration.

“I love this blue, and I’d like it for tea on my days off.” “The shape intrigues me, but I want to check it will fit my cupboard first.” Even this much leads to a different decision from one carried along by the atmosphere of the fair.

What should you ask the maker before buying?

Begin the conversation from how you want to use a piece rather than from technical terms. Explaining the use, then confirming the care and conditions for that particular piece, will spare you uncertainty once you are home.

Start with “I’d like to use it for this dish”

If you are not sure what to ask, starting from your own daily routine feels natural. English may not be spoken at every stall, so it can help to save your questions in Japanese or have a translation app ready.

For example: “I’d like to use it for coffee every morning.” “I want to serve dishes with plenty of sauce or broth.” “It’s for the whole family, so I’d like to be able to stack them.” Once the maker knows the use, they can more easily decide which aspects of the piece to explain.

If you are curious about how a piece came to be, you might ask, “What led you to this shape?” A detail that first seemed decorative may turn out to relate to how the piece is held or used.

When a stall is busy, ask just one question first and check whether you can follow up later. If you plan to get in touch, don’t assume a social media message is welcome; ask which channel and method the maker prefers.

Check microwave and dishwasher suitability, and ask about care

Confirm microwave and dishwasher suitability for each individual piece you buy. As a rule, don’t judge from colour, appearance or the name of the production area.

For any treatment before first use, don’t apply one method to every piece; follow the maker’s guidance. Some pieces may call for a preparatory treatment known as medome, which helps reduce water absorption and staining. Whether it is needed, and how it is done, varies from piece to piece, so ask the maker.

We have gathered what to check at the fair into 10 questions. There is no need to ask them all at once; choose the ones relevant to how you will use the piece.

If there is an information card, take it with you, and note any verbal explanations alongside the piece and the maker’s name. This avoids mix-ups if you buy from several makers.

Follow up later on repeat orders and business use

If you would like to add more of the same piece later, check whether it is in ongoing production and whether it can be reordered. Even if several are on display, you cannot assume they will be available on the same terms in future.

For use in restaurants or hotels, the points to discuss go beyond quantity to include preferred delivery dates, acceptable variation in size, restocking and washing methods. A realistic approach is to make contact on the day while looking at the work, then set out the details together later.

Some makers do not take wholesale orders or additional commissions. Before rushing to ask “How many could you make?”, ask whether they accept enquiries about commercial use.

How do you get there and bring your purchases home?

Check access against the 2026 service information. Note the change to the sightseeing bus routes and the temporary bus stops in place during the fair, and plan for both the journey home and carrying your purchases.

Plan both legs of a public transport journey

The Kasama Sightseeing Loop Bus changed its routes on 1 April 2026. It now runs as two services: a Connecting Route between Tomobe Station and Michi-no-Eki Kasama (道の駅かさま), a roadside rest area, and a Loop Route that starts from Kasama Station and calls at sightseeing spots.

If you travel from Tomobe Station by sightseeing bus, you will need to change to the Loop Route at Michi-no-Eki Kasama. From Kasama Station, take the Loop Route towards the Kōgei no Oka / Tōgei Bijutsukan stop (工芸の丘・陶芸美術館), which serves Kasama Craft Hills and the Ceramic Art Museum. Take care not to plan around the earlier direct service.
(Source: Kasama Sightseeing Loop Bus | Kasama City)

Ibaraki Kotsu has also set up temporary bus stops for the autumn period. The Kōgei no Oka Tōgei Bijutsukan stop is affected on weekends and public holidays, and also on Monday 2 November, so on all four days of Tou to Kurashi 2026, buses will pick up and set down at the temporary stop. Check its exact location on the map included in the service notice.
(Source: Temporary bus stops for the Kasama Sightseeing Loop Bus | Ibaraki Kotsu)

For the return journey, check not only when you will leave the venue but also your connections and train times. Save the timetable and the map of the temporary bus stop on your phone.

If you come by car, check parking and traffic restrictions

By car, set your destination as Kasama Craft Hills (笠間工芸の丘) and check its position relative to the event area on the official map. The organisers’ access guide names the Craft Hills car park and the north and south car parks of Kasama Art Forest Park as nearby options, and states that parking within the park is free.
(Source: Access | Tou to Kurashi 2026)

For available spaces and traffic restrictions, follow the information for your day of visit and the directions of staff on site. Not every car park nearby is necessarily free. Nor is the period just after opening necessarily quiet, so allow some leeway in your plans for the return.

It also helps to clear a stable space in the car for your purchases. Plan how you will load them so that wrapped pieces are not pressed under other luggage or left to roll around on a seat.

Ask the seller about wrapping, shipping and payment

Price is not the only thing to confirm before buying. Ask the seller, too, about wrapping, bags for carrying, shipping and payment methods.

If you choose a large plate or several pieces in particular, think about their size and weight once wrapped. If you are going home by train or bus, whether you can carry them comfortably should be part of the decision.

If you ask about shipping, check the cost as well as the dispatch timing and who to contact after delivery. If you would like pieces shipped overseas, discuss this with the seller individually, including which countries they can ship to and how items would be packed.

Planning meals and breaks also helps you compare pieces calmly. The official food and drink listing gives the dates for each vendor, so if there is one you want to visit, match it to your day.
(Source: Food and drink vendors | Tou to Kurashi 2026)

• Note the dimensions of the tableware you already own and how you plan to use new pieces
• Save the venue map, the return timetable and the location of the temporary bus stop
• Bring a bag that can carry your purchases securely
• Confirm payment methods and wrapping and shipping terms with the seller
• Check the weather and the organisers’ latest announcements before you leave

What do first-time visitors usually ask?

As a rule, direct questions about visiting to the organisers, and questions about how to use a piece or its terms of sale to the exhibitor. Knowing who to ask makes it easier to get the answer you need.

FAQ: visiting and activities

Q. Is it the same event as Aki-ichi, the Autumn Market?

No, they are separate events. Tou to Kurashi is held in the event area at Kasama Craft Hills, and Aki-ichi at the event plaza of Kasama Art Forest Park.

Q. Can I freely try the tableware on sale?

Not necessarily. Distinguish between items offered at the café or for hands-on experience and the pieces on sale, and follow the guidance for each.

Q. Do I need to book the café or workshops?

This varies by activity. Check fees, opening times and whether booking is required through the organisers’ latest announcements or on site.

Q. Is there an admission fee?

The admission fee could not be confirmed from the official information reviewed for this article. Please check with the organisers before visiting. Charges for the café and other activities should be checked separately from the museum’s collaborative activity, which is listed as free.

Q. Will it go ahead if it rains?

The 2026 rain policy could not be confirmed from the official information reviewed for this article. Before setting out, check the official website and the official social media accounts it links to.

FAQ: buying and taking pieces home

Q. Can I ask a maker questions if I know little about pottery?

No technical vocabulary is needed. Try starting with how you want to use the piece, for example, “I’d like to use it for my morning coffee.” When it is busy, begin with a short question.

Q. Can Kasama ware go in the microwave or dishwasher?

It depends on the piece. Check the maker’s guidance for the specific piece you are buying.

Q. Can I pay by card or arrange shipping?

Check with each exhibitor. There may not be a single arrangement that applies across the whole fair.

Q. Can I buy more of the same piece later?

That depends on whether it is in ongoing production or can be reordered. Noting the name of the piece and the maker’s official contact details when you buy makes it easier to ask.

Keep a connection with the pieces that caught your eye

When you find a piece you like, jot down briefly what it was you liked, along with the maker’s name: how it felt to hold, its colour, its shape, or the intention behind it that you learned in conversation. Details a photograph alone won’t keep will guide you the next time you see the maker’s work.

If you are considering bringing pieces into a shop or developing a project with a maker or workshop, set out the intended use, quantities and preferred timing, then see Kogei Japonica’s information for businesses. For makers who would like their work introduced and shared, we also offer information on registering as a craft artist or artisan. Registration and listing are subject to review.

The value of Tou to Kurashi 2026 lies not only in seeing a great deal of tableware in one place but also in being able to move back and forth between your own sense of a piece and its maker’s words.

The post Kasama Pottery Fair Tou to Kurashi 2026: Visitor Guide first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

“We want to hand these skills on to the next generation, but how do we budget for teaching time, materials and documentation?” Craft studios and regional craft cooperatives often know that a project is needed, yet stall when it comes to turning it into an application and a budget.

For FY2027, grants in the craft category come in four fixed amounts: ¥200,000, ¥500,000, ¥1 million and ¥2 million. Beyond the amount itself, applicants need to consider the eligibility rules, how the final grant amount is confirmed and when payment is made, and the cash flow until that payment arrives. Drawing on official documents, this guide works through the process from project planning to the final checks before submission.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.110 | Japan Arts Council)

Note: Scheme information is current as of 27 October 2026. All dates and times are given in Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9). The official guidelines and application forms are available in Japanese. Applicants should check the official pages for updates and the latest forms.

FY2027 funding: key dates and documents

Preparing for an FY2027 project begins by distinguishing the application window from the activity period, and by gathering the latest documents for the relevant category.

Application dates and the funding period

This call is for projects taking place in Japan’s fiscal year 2027, but applications are made in autumn 2026. The official label, Reiwa 9 (Reiwa being Japan’s current era name), refers to the year in which the work takes place, so do not assume that applications open only in 2027.

(Source: Regional Cultural Promotion Activities: Guidelines and Application Forms | Japan Arts Council)

Within the organisation, it helps to assign people to check the conditions, to draft the project description and to review the budget. Even where a small team shares these roles, keep drafting and checking separate.

What this guide covers

The Japan Arts Fund has several categories, spanning the performing arts, fine arts, regional culture and more. This guide focuses only on the category for preserving and transmitting craft techniques and conservation techniques for cultural properties. Exhibitions and events related to craft are not necessarily eligible on the same terms.
(Source: FY2027 Grant Programmes | Japan Arts Council)

Even a studio planning to upgrade its equipment should not build the application around what it wants to buy. Instead, set out what the equipment or tools will be used to teach, who will learn, and what will remain once the project is over. Whether an expense is necessary for the craft and whether it is eligible under the scheme are two separate questions.

Who can apply, and which activities qualify?

Working in craft does not in itself make an organisation eligible. The organisation’s purpose, structure and track record are checked separately from the conditions for the activity.

Studios, cooperatives and unincorporated associations: where to check the requirements

Terms such as “studio”, “preservation society” or “regional craft cooperative” describe what a group does, but they do not determine eligibility. Start by checking the legal form and rules of the body that will actually apply. Applications cannot be made in an individual’s name.
(Source: FY2027 Call FAQ | Japan Arts Council)

The craft category is open to organisations whose main purpose is preservation and transmission, and which take responsibility for planning, producing and funding the project. Besides incorporated bodies, unincorporated associations and organising committees that meet the requirements may also apply.

Unincorporated associations must have, among other things, written rules; a body that makes and carries out decisions; an accounting structure that keeps and audits its accounts; an office that serves as the base of activity; and at least one year of activity since establishment at the time of application. The applicant, or the core organisation of an organising committee, must also have organised activities involving similar techniques itself.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.108 | Japan Arts Council)

Creating a name and rules just for this call will not meet the track-record requirement. When considering a partnership with an existing organisation, do not simply borrow its name; be clear about who is responsible for the project and for the payments.

Training, documentation and hands-on sessions: explain the purpose and content of each

Two sessions may look alike yet serve very different ends. Training the next generation of craft practitioners and a hands-on session that introduces the public to craft differ in both purpose and preparation. Rather than simply relabelling the project in the scheme’s terms, be specific about what participants should take away.

In FY2026, three projects were selected in this category. The amounts shown are the planned grant amounts at the time of announcement, not final payments. Organisation names are romanised; the descriptions in brackets are our own.

(Source: FY2026 Japan Arts Fund: Decision on Grant Recipients | Japan Arts Council)

Thatching, costume reconstruction and a film of a technique: the range alone shows that preserving craft skills can take several forms. The project titles, however, do not reveal why they were selected or exactly what each involves. Treat them as reference points for making your own plans concrete.

How cultural heritage designations affect eligibility

Four types of activity are eligible: preservation and transmission; public presentation and use; preservation through documentation; and reconstruction based on historical evidence. Techniques essential to making traditional craft objects or repairing cultural properties, such as making tools or producing raw materials, also fall within scope.

Designation needs particular care. In the guidelines, the condition “excluding those designated or selected by the national government” is attached to preservation and transmission activities, one of the four types. Do not read it as ruling out every type, including public presentation and documentation.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.108 | Japan Arts Council)

If a technique has been designated, note its name, the designating body and the type of designation. Designation as a traditional craft product, a system administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is not the same as the designation or selection of a technique as a cultural property, and the two should not be treated as one.

Turn preservation goals into a workable project plan

A project plan should go beyond naming the techniques to be preserved. It should set out who will pass what on to whom, and how the results will be checked once the project ends.

Break “what to preserve” down into processes, judgements and material handling

A goal such as “passing traditional techniques on to future generations” is not enough to set a schedule or a budget. Divide the technique into what will be taught and what will be documented.

In ceramics, for example, glazing can be broken down into a series of judgements: the condition of the glaze, how absorbent the vessel is, how to judge thickness. Rather than simply “filming the work”, plan for the maker to explain why a particular method was chosen. That makes the purpose of the documentation clear.

Showing a procedure is not the same as enabling the next person to make the judgement themselves. Working out what will be explained, what will be tried and where the instructor will check progress also clarifies the time and materials required.

Assign roles for those who teach, learn and document

A plan in which the instructor also prepares materials, handles communication, books venues and deals with filming can eat into teaching time. List the work required first, then assign each task.

The table below is an example prepared by our editorial team to help structure a project. It does not guarantee that any activity or cost will be eligible.

Decide on outcomes and access before the project begins

Measuring outcomes by attendance alone makes it hard to see what was actually passed on. Prepare ways of checking that fit the project’s aim, such as “can explain the process” or “can choose a working method suited to the material”.

Producing the documentation is only the first step. Decide in advance who will keep it, who may view it and how it will be used in future training. In this category, documentation must be followed by use, such as public release, and the guidelines also advise seeking expert advice and handling the rights of the people filmed, along with other related rights.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.109 | Japan Arts Council)

The scope of public access is easier to agree during planning than after filming. Check both the scheme’s conditions for use and the wishes of the makers.

If the handover of the whole studio is also under consideration, equipment, business partners and other matters need to be organised alongside the techniques.

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Japanese Craft Business Succession: What Gets Handed Down

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"I need to start thinking about what happens to this workshop after me." Many workshop owners reach that thought and then stall, because it is not obvious what business succession actually covers, or where to begin.What passes down in a craft workshop is not only technique. Equipment, material suppliers, clients and trading partners, production records, contracts and reputation — the resources that keep a workshop running as a business — all have to be considered.This article sets o...

Budget in three layers: total project cost, eligible costs and cash flow

The cost of the whole project, the costs that can be claimed under the grant and the cash needed when payments fall due are three different things. Separating them prevents an unrealistic financial plan.

Calculate costs and quantities for each stage

A budget needs the basis for each figure, not just the amount. Rather than a single lump sum for materials, state how many people will use them and how many times, so that the budget can be checked against the project.

These are examples for listing costs. Whether an item can actually be claimed depends on the official lists of eligible and ineligible costs. Do not remove necessary work to make the budget look smaller, and where help is given free of charge, make sure everyone knows who is responsible for what.

Check which costs are eligible, and flag those still unconfirmed

In the craft category, the grant tier is chosen according to the total of three selected cost categories and the total of eligible costs. Do not apply the tables used for other categories, such as folk cultural properties.

(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.110 | Japan Arts Council)

These thresholds do not mean that the organisation can proceed without funds of its own. Ineligible costs and bridging funds must be covered separately. Organisations that deduct consumption tax paid on purchases determine their tier using amounts excluding tax, so check with whoever handles the accounts.

The choice of the three cost categories does not affect assessment, but it cannot be changed after submission. If their total after the project falls below the grant awarded, the grant is reduced. For example, if a project is awarded ¥1 million but the selected costs come to ¥800,000 once the work is done, the grant becomes ¥800,000.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.110 | Japan Arts Council)

Among the cost categories, distinguish documentation costs (記録作成費), for records made to preserve a technique, from recording and online distribution costs (記録・配信費), for capturing the project itself. Purchases of tools and similar items are not ineligible across the board, but they require a purchase justification statement and quotations, and must be approved. Completing the paperwork does not make them eligible automatically.

On the other hand, staff salaries, office running costs, meeting expenses, and allowances or travel for trainees are listed as ineligible in the craft category. Even where such spending is necessary, identify the portion to be covered from other sources.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.111–113 | Japan Arts Council)

Check income, the organisation’s own funds and the timing of payments

The grant is paid after the project ends, once the final report has been submitted and the amount confirmed. Funds are not transferred at the point of selection, so money for materials and outsourced work needs to be secured in advance.

Eligible costs are those the organisation itself paid between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2028, as shown by supporting documents. Venue deposits or production costs paid in an earlier fiscal year cannot be claimed.

Payments should, in principle, be made by bank transfer from an account in the organisation’s name. Cash payments require receipts showing the organisation’s name and other details, as well as a cash book. If members plan to pay with personal cards and claim reimbursement, check in advance how the account name and supporting documents will be treated.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.6, 8, 17 | Japan Arts Council)

In a cash-flow table, set the months when payments fall due alongside the months when income is expected. Include ineligible spending, and identify the point at which cash on hand will be at its lowest.

Projects that receive grants from local governments or private bodies may also be eligible, but the same costs cannot be claimed twice, and the other funder’s rules must be checked as well. A project cannot receive overlapping grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) or the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and simply splitting the cost categories may not be enough.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.9–10 | Japan Arts Council)

Submit with the latest forms, after a full final check

Prepare your application in four steps: obtain the latest forms, cross-check the project plan and budget, check the attachments, then submit. Set aside time for checking, separate from the day the writing is finished.

Replaced forms and changes to the application process

The forms for this category were reissued on 16 October 2026 after errors were found. Do not use any version obtained before that date; download the forms again from the official page.

Prior registration of organisation details is no longer required. Forms must be completed in Microsoft Excel, without changing file names or extensions. The guidelines also warn that cutting and pasting cells can cause calculation errors.
(Source: Guidelines and Application Forms Download | Japan Arts Council)

When several people are working on an application, record the date the forms were downloaded and decide who manages the final version. If old and new versions get mixed up, the wrong file could be submitted even when its contents are correct.

Check that the plan, budget and attachments agree

Check that the number of sessions matches the quantities of materials, that participant numbers match the size of the venue, and that the intended use of the documentation matches the outsourced work. Read everything together as a single project rather than reviewing the text and the figures separately.

• The applicant’s purpose, structure and track record meet the conditions.
• The target technique, the aim of the project and its outcomes can be explained concretely.
• Dates, venues and staff availability align.
• The number of sessions, participants and quantities of materials are consistent.
• The three selected cost categories and total eligible costs meet the conditions for the chosen tier.
• No ineligible or unconfirmed costs have been included.
• Payments fall within the fiscal year, and funds are in place to cover the period until the grant arrives.
• The latest forms and all required attachments are ready.
• The files display correctly, formulas work and no text is cut off.

Applications cannot be amended or resubmitted. Ask someone other than the author to read the application and check that the plan comes across without verbal explanation. After sending, confirm that the acknowledgement email has arrived.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.14–15 | Japan Arts Council)

Consultation, enquiry and application deadlines

The periods for consultation and for applications are different. As of 27 October 2026, bookings for online consultations had closed. The Japan Arts Council listed the enquiry form as open until 17:00 JST on 29 October, and applications as accepted until 17:00 JST on 12 November.
(Source: Guidelines and Application Forms Download | Japan Arts Council)

When making an enquiry, set out the organisation’s legal form, the aim of the project, the conditions you believe apply and the points on which you are unsure. This conveys the issues more clearly than a broad question such as “Are we eligible?”

Anyone considering an application should start by opening pages 108–113 of the official guidelines and the latest forms, and checking the conditions for the organisation, the project and the costs.
(Source: Guidelines and Latest Application Forms | Japan Arts Council)

Frequently asked questions and next steps

Work through eligibility in order: organisation, project, costs. Beyond meeting the financial thresholds, make sure the organisation has the capacity to deliver the project and the funds to cover the period until payment.

FAQ: applicants, projects and costs

Q. Can an individual maker or a sole-proprietor studio apply?

Applications cannot be made in an individual’s name. What matters is not whether the body is called a studio but whether the applicant meets the requirements for organisations.
(Source: FY2027 Call FAQ | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Can we apply if we set up an unincorporated association now?

Setting one up is not enough to meet the conditions. Unincorporated associations need, among other things, at least one year of activity since establishment, as well as a record of organising similar activities.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.108 | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Are all nationally designated or selected techniques ineligible?

This cannot be decided across the board. The condition excluding national designation or selection applies to preservation and transmission activities. Check each activity type separately.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.108 | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Are hands-on sessions for the public eligible?

The label alone does not decide it. Be specific about which technique the project presents or passes on, and check it against the requirements for both the organisation and the activity.

Q. Can the grant be used for documentary films of techniques or for buying tools?

Some cost categories may cover these. However, the purpose of the documentation, the need for the purchase and the plans for its use must all be confirmed. Writing a purchase justification statement does not mean approval is automatic.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.111–113 | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Does the ¥2 million tier require eligible costs of ¥4 million or more?

Not in the craft category. Both the total of the three selected cost categories and the total of eligible costs must be ¥2 million or more. Ineligible costs and bridging funds need to be considered separately.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, p.110 | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Is the grant paid before the project takes place?

It is paid after the project ends, once the final report has been submitted and the amount confirmed. Secure the funds needed during the project in advance.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.6, 17 | Japan Arts Council)

Q. Can it be combined with other grants?

That depends on the other funder and the project. Check both the Fund’s rules on overlapping applications and grants and the other funder’s own rules. Splitting the cost categories alone may not be accepted.
(Source: FY2027 Application Guidelines, pp.9–10 | Japan Arts Council)

Keep application preparation separate from communication and partnerships

Questions about eligibility and costs should be checked against the Japan Arts Council’s official documents and with its staff. Deciding who the skills will be passed on to, and which partners to work with, is a separate task for the organisation running the project.

When communicating about the work, do not stop at “we are preserving tradition”. Show which processes are being passed on, to whom, and what you would like partners to take on. If you are considering having your project featured or exploring a partnership, see the Kogei Japonica support pages. These cover communication and collaboration, and are separate from grant eligibility and application procedures.

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Support for Japanese Craft Artists & Artisans

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/personal/

Kogei Japonica supports craft artists, artisans, craftspeople, and studios through profile and portfolio features, product sales, market development, editorial coverage, and connections with buyers, media, and businesses.

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Japanese Craft Services for Business

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/enterprise/

Kogei Japonica helps businesses, organizations, artisans, and local governments work with Japanese craft through sales development, artist collaborations, creative projects, product sourcing, and rentals for exhibitions, photography, and interiors.

In preparing an application to the FY2027 Japan Arts Fund, the first thing to put in place is not a polished proposal but a concrete plan for what will be passed on, to whom and how.

The post Japan Arts Fund: Funding Japanese Craft Preservation Description first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

Entries for the LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 close at 23:59 CET on 15 October 2026. The application is completed in English and calls for two to five photographs of the work, a short biography, a portfolio of up to five pieces, details of the entered work, identification, and a conceptual and technical statement of no more than 200 words.

The thing to avoid is treating this as a set of boxes to fill. The photographs, the portfolio and the written statement are separate items on the form, but together they build a single picture: what this maker thinks about, how they handle material and process, and why this particular work exists.

Drawing on the official 2027 pages, the FAQ and the Rules of Entry, this guide follows the order in which the work of applying actually happens — from eligibility through photographic specifications and the written statement to the final check before submitting.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

What Is the LOEWE Craft Prize 2027? Deadline and Basic Conditions

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 is an international award for contemporary craft, open to professional artisans aged 18 and over. Entries for this tenth edition close at 23:59 CET on 15 October 2026.

Established in 2016, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize reaches its tenth edition in 2027. Its purpose, set against LOEWE’s own beginnings as an artisanal workshop, is to recognise excellence, artistic merit and innovation in contemporary craft.

The fields given as examples include ceramics, bookbinding, enamelwork, jewellery, lacquer, metal, furniture, leather, textiles, glass, paper and wood. The prize describes its territory as the applied arts. Read alongside the conditions set out below, the emphasis falls less on whether an object fits a recognised craft category than on whether it demonstrates artistic intent through its material and technique.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

There is no entry fee. Applications are made through the official online registration only; entries sent directly by email are not accepted. The form is completed in English.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

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LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2026: Winner, Japanese Finalists & What This...

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/trend/loewe-craft-prize-2026/

The LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2026 was awarded to Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park for Strata of Illusion (2025).Now in its ninth edition, the prize received more than 5,100 applications from 133 countries and territories. The winner was announced on May 12 in Singapore, and the finalists' exhibition opened the following day at the National Gallery Singapore.Three Japanese artists reached the finals: Misako Nakahira, Nobuyuki Tanaka, and Ayano Yoshizumi.If you follow contemporary craft ...

Prize, Exhibition and Judging Schedule

The winner receives €50,000. Where the Jury chooses to award Special Mentions, each carries €5,000.

Judging happens in two stages. The Expert Panel reviews the entries and selects the works that go forward to the final stage. The 2027 pages describe a shortlist of 30 works, while the Rules of Entry set the figure at a maximum of 30; this article follows the latter.

A Jury of fifteen, drawn from design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship, then selects the winner from among the finalists. It includes Jongjin Park, winner of the 2026 edition, and the designer Naoto Fukasawa, director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Finalists are contacted in January 2027, after the Expert Panel has made its selection, by the telephone number or email address given on the form. The winner is decided after the Jury’s deliberation, which the FAQ gives as May 2027. The main pages state that the award and accompanying exhibition will take place in Europe in spring 2027; the venue had not been announced at the time of writing.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Who Can Enter? Working Through the Eligibility Conditions

Entrants must be professional artisans aged 18 or over at the time of application. There is no restriction by nationality, and entries may be made individually or as a group. The work itself carries further conditions covering when it was made, whether it is one-of-a-kind, and its prize history.

The 2027 information asks that entrants be 18 or over and engaged in craft as a sustained professional activity. Nationality places no limit on who may enter.

The conditions set on the work are as follows.

• It falls within the applied arts
• It is an original work
• It is one-of-a-kind
• It is handmade in whole or in part
• It was created within the past five years
• It has not previously won any prize
• It demonstrates artistic intent as well as technical proficiency
• It is innovative in the sense that it updates tradition

That last condition does not call for work that rejects inherited technique. What it asks is that you can account for what you have carried forward, what you have altered, and how material and process connect to a present-day form of expression.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Outsourced fabrication requires particular attention. The FAQ states that work designed or conceived by the entrant but physically made by a third party is not eligible: the entrant must be the maker of the work.

Makers and workshops who divide labour or work collaboratively should establish, before applying, which stages they carried out themselves and whether the entry belongs under a group submission.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Each individual or group may enter one work, or one series that stands as a single artistic creation. The same work may not be entered for another prize at the same time.

What “Professional Artisan” Actually Means

Professional artisan does not mean someone who earns their living from craft alone.

The FAQ describes it as working in craft as a professional activity and taking an active part in exhibitions, galleries, fairs and educational programmes. Income from craft need not be your sole support.

Students are eligible too, provided they are 18 or over and their biography shows sustained professional engagement with craft.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

What Do You Need to Prepare? Submission Items and Photographic Specifications

Beyond photographs of the work, the LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 application calls for a biography, a portfolio of up to five pieces, details of the entered work, identification, and a conceptual and technical statement of no more than 200 words.

The main pages give a brief summary of the photographs and the statement, but the full list of what you will be asked for sits in the Rules of Entry.

You will need two to five photographs. The Rules of Entry ask for different viewpoints, with one image only showing a person beside the work to indicate scale. The background should be white and neutral.

On files, the FAQ specifies JPG or PNG, a minimum of 800 × 600px, at least 200dpi, and no more than 2MB per file. Video, if you include it, runs to a maximum of one minute.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

You do not have to complete the form in one sitting. The FAQ states that entries are saved automatically and can be revised up to the point of submission. Once submitted, the content cannot be changed.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Pre-submission checklist

• The entrant is 18 or over and meets the conditions for a professional artisan
• The work was made within the past five years
• The work is one-of-a-kind and has not previously won a prize
• The same work is not entered for another prize at the same time
• The entrant is confirmed as the maker of the work
• The biography is in order
• The portfolio is edited down to five works or fewer
• Title, dimensions, materials, weight and category are confirmed
• An estimated insurance value in euros is ready to enter
• A passport or official ID is to hand
• The conceptual and technical statement is within 200 words
• Two to five photographs are prepared
• One photograph uses a person to indicate scale
• Backgrounds are white and neutral
• Files are JPG or PNG, at least 800 × 600px and 200dpi, under 2MB
• Any video runs to one minute or less
• All information is entered in English
• The current Rules of Entry 2027 have been checked before submitting

What the Statement Needs to Carry

In 200 words, a list of processes will not do the work. What has to come through is the intent behind the piece, the material and technique, and the reasons those were chosen — held together as one thread.

The 2027 Rules of Entry ask for a conceptual and technical statement of no more than 200 words about the work.

Rather than starting from the finished sentences, it is usually easier to settle three things first.

• What the work is about
• Why it had to be this material and this process
• How it reinterprets an existing technique, use or tradition

The pull, when describing craft in a short space, is towards the ready-made vocabulary of heritage: traditional craftsmanship, harmony with nature, tradition and innovation. Those phrases are frictionless to write and carry almost nothing specific about the object in front of the reader.

With a work in urushi, a natural lacquer made from tree sap, saying that traditional lacquer technique was used tells a reader little. What can be described instead is how the layering of the film, the polishing, the cutting back, the curing and the way the surface changes with age bear on the structure and meaning of the piece.

In ceramics, listing glaze names and firing temperatures is not the same as thinking about how the shrinkage of the clay, the flame, the movement of the glaze and the relationship between chance and control arrive at the final form.

Technique names such as maki-e, lacquer decoration using sprinkled metal powder, kanshitsu, dry-lacquer construction, zōgan, inlay, and yakishime, high-fired unglazed ceramics, do not need forcing into a single everyday English word. It is worth first checking the English forms already used by the makers, workshops, regional associations and museums concerned, then, where it helps, pairing a romanised term with a short explanation.

The aim is not to convert the vocabulary for its own sake. Meaning should survive, and someone seeing the work for the first time should be able to follow it.

Unsure Whether to Apply? Common Misunderstandings [FAQ]

The points that most often cause hesitation, set out from the 2027 FAQ.

Q1. When is the deadline?

23:59 CET on 15 October 2026. Entries opened on 8 July 2026.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q2. Is there an entry fee?

No. The FAQ states explicitly that there is no registration fee.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q3. How many works can I enter?

One work per individual or group, or one series that stands as a single artistic creation.

Q4. Can I enter a work that was entered for another prize but did not win?

Yes. It must, however, meet the other conditions, including never having won a prize and not having been a finalist in a previous LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q5. Can I enter if part of the making was done by someone else?

The FAQ states that a work designed or conceived by the entrant but made by a third party is not eligible, and that the entrant must be the maker. Where the work is collaborative, check the conditions for a group submission.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q6. Can students enter?

Yes, if they are 18 or over and their biography shows sustained professional engagement with craft through exhibitions, galleries, fairs, educational programmes and similar activity.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q7. Can I submit the application in a language other than English?

No. The online registration form must be completed in English.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q8. Can I revise my entry after submitting it?

No. Entries are saved automatically as you work and can be changed before submission, but not afterwards.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q9. Can I enter a work that has already been exhibited?

Previous exhibition alone does not make a work ineligible. Check it against the other requirements, including prize history, date of making and conditions of ownership.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

Q10. Can I enter the same work for another competition at the same time?

No. The FAQ does not permit the same work to be entered for another prize concurrently.
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 Conditions at a Glance [Comparison Table]

Working through the conditions in five groups — eligibility, the work, submission items, photographs and language — is the surest way to avoid leaving something out.

(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

After You Submit: What Comes Next

The English biography, portfolio, photographs and statement you are putting together now are worth keeping as working documents, not filing away once the result is known. They will serve the next open call abroad and the next approach to a gallery.

Measuring a work again, hunting for images of earlier pieces, settling on an English title, rewriting a biography from scratch — doing all of it afresh for every international application is a heavy load.

Recording title, year, materials, technique, dimensions, weight, photographs, a short description and the English terminology as one set each time a work is finished changes how quickly you can respond to the next opportunity.

The portfolio of up to five works deserves the same second look. Rather than simply lining up your five most recent pieces, consider whether they let a reader see the themes you work with, your relationship to material, how technique has shifted, the range of scale, and the question you have kept returning to.

A portfolio is not an inventory. It shows what you have made, and at the same time what you have gone on thinking about.

Kogei Japonica reports on the profiles and working backgrounds of makers and workshops for readers in Japan and abroad. For the results of previous editions and the criteria by which contemporary craft is assessed internationally, our analysis of the 2026 prize covers the same ground from a different angle.

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LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2026: Winner, Japanese Finalists & What This...

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/trend/loewe-craft-prize-2026/

The LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2026 was awarded to Korean ceramicist Jongjin Park for Strata of Illusion (2025).Now in its ninth edition, the prize received more than 5,100 applications from 133 countries and territories. The winner was announced on May 12 in Singapore, and the finalists' exhibition opened the following day at the National Gallery Singapore.Three Japanese artists reached the finals: Misako Nakahira, Nobuyuki Tanaka, and Ayano Yoshizumi.If you follow contemporary craft ...

Conclusion

Entries for the LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 close at 23:59 CET on 15 October 2026. Applying means preparing not only the work but two to five photographs, a biography, a portfolio of up to five pieces, details of the work, identification and a conceptual and technical statement of no more than 200 words — and starting early.

The conditions worth watching most closely: the work must be one-of-a-kind and made within the past five years, it must never have won a prize, the entrant must be its maker, it cannot be entered for another prize at the same time, and nothing can be changed once submitted.

What matters most in this application, in our view, is not producing language that sounds right for an international audience.

Which material you chose. Why that process was necessary. What you carried forward and what you changed. It is a matter of putting each of those judgements into words.

Set out how material, process, form and intent hold together as one work — not only how demanding the technique was — and the documents you prepare now will keep their use in the next exhibition, the next international call, the next conversation with a gallery.

If you are considering an entry, narrow the field to one work or one series and prepare the four elements separately: photographs, biography, portfolio and the 200-word statement.

Before submitting, check the current Rules of Entry 2027 and the FAQ on the LOEWE FOUNDATION pages.
(Source: LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)
(Source: FAQs – LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 | LOEWE FOUNDATION)

The post LOEWE Craft Prize 2027 Guide: Photos, Portfolio, Statement first appeared on Kogei Japonica.

A first donabe is best narrowed down not by size alone, but by three questions: what you intend to cook, how much capacity you need, and whether the pot works with the heat source in your kitchen. If you plan to use it regularly, checking the weight of the pot and where you will store it will further reduce the chance of ending up with something awkward to live with.

This article works through the fundamentals of choosing a donabe, the difference between rice-cooking and hot-pot designs, what to watch for when cooking on induction, and the two ceramic traditions most closely associated with these pots: Iga ware (Iga-yaki) and Yokkaichi Banko ware (Yokkaichi Banko-yaki). Manufacturer and prefectural sources are checked throughout.

What Should You Check First When Choosing a Donabe?

Check three things first: intended use, capacity and size, and heat source. The number of people eating, or the gō size printed on the label, will not on its own tell you whether a pot suits your cooking environment.

Not all donabe are designed for the same purpose. Some are built around cooking rice, some around hot pot shared at the table, and some extend to simmering and steaming as well.

Two pots of similar outer diameter can also hold quite different amounts if their depth differs. And as the body grows larger, so does its weight once water and ingredients are in it.

Working through the following order before you buy makes the choice considerably easier.

• Use: rice, hot pot, simmered dishes — what will you make most often?
• Capacity and size: does it match the quantity you usually cook? Can you store and wash it without difficulty?
• Heat source: gas, induction or otherwise — will it work on the appliance you have?

With induction in particular, it is not enough to read the pot’s own product listing. You also need to establish whether the induction cooktop itself is approved by its manufacturer for use with ceramic cookware. We return to this point in detail below.

Why Does Choosing by Gō Size Alone Lead to Mistakes?

The gō size is one useful indication of how large a donabe is, but it should not be treated as a precise standard for capacity or the number of people served. What matters more are the maker’s published dimensions, capacity and weight.

Japanese product names commonly carry sizes such as “6-gō”, “8-gō” or “9-gō”. Yet donabe come in shallow wide forms, deeper forms, and dedicated rice-cooking forms, and pots of broadly similar outer diameter can hold noticeably different volumes.

When buying online, then, rather than reading the gō size alone, it is worth comparing at least four figures: outer diameter, height, capacity and weight.

Gō Size, Servings and Capacity: What to Compare

Retailers often publish a rough correspondence between gō size and number of diners. Kogei Japonica does not recommend treating these as fixed conversions, because capacity shifts with the shape and depth of the pot.

Rather than deciding simply that “one person means a small donabe” and “a family means a large one”, check the capacity of the pan you currently use and compare from there. It gives you a far more concrete sense of how the pot will handle day to day.

Why Capacity in Millilitres Matters More Than Gō Size

Capacity is the figure that governs practical use. With rice-cooking donabe in particular, the design question is not what gō size the pot carries but how much rice it is built to cook. Note that Japanese uses two similar-sounding units here: the gō size of the pot, and the gō of rice, a volume measure of roughly 180ml of uncooked grain.

The rice-cooking donabe Kamado-san, made by the Iga ware kiln Nagatanien, is offered in models from one gō of rice up to five. The maker’s published specifications give the one-gō model a capacity of 600ml, the three-gō model 1,500ml and the five-gō model 2,500ml. Body weight also increases as the pots grow larger.
(Source: Kamado-san, Nagatanien)

For a rice pot, the question is not only how many people are eating, but how much rice you cook at a time, and whether you cook once and keep some back for later.

The same logic applies to hot pot. You never fill a pot to its stated capacity with stock and ingredients, so consider depth and headroom alongside the raw capacity figure.

Rice Pot or Hot-Pot Donabe: Which Should You Choose?

If you cook rice frequently, a donabe designed specifically for rice is the better starting point; if you want to range across hot pot and simmered dishes, a more general-purpose donabe makes sense. This is not a question of which is superior, but of matching the pot to the use you will get out of it most often.

A donabe is a ceramic cooking vessel made from clay bodies formulated for heat resistance. Heat travels and is held differently than in a metal pan, but heat resistance, permitted heat sources and whether the pot can be heated dry all vary between products.

So rather than assuming that any donabe can be used in any way, treat the individual product specification as the starting point.

What Defines a Rice-Cooking Donabe: Kamado-san as an Example

In donabe designed for rice, the clay body, the thickness of the walls and the construction of the lid may all carry features worked out specifically for cooking rice.

Nagatanien’s Kamado-san is a thick-walled pot formed from the coarse Iga clay the kiln describes as having high heat-storing capacity, and it uses a double-lid construction of inner and outer lids. The maker explains that the thick body and double-lid design allow rice to cook without fine-tuning the heat as it goes.
(Source: Kamado-san, Nagatanien)

What matters here is that this does not mean every donabe cooks rice in the same way. If cooking rice is your main priority, check the quantity the pot is designed to cook, the heat level the maker recommends, and the heat sources it permits, product by product.

It is also worth noting that the standard Kamado-san models are made for gas and are not compatible with induction. When choosing a rice donabe, compatibility with the heat source in your kitchen comes before design or capacity.
(Source: Sizes and specifications, Kamado-san, Nagatanien)

What Defines a Hot-Pot or Simmering Donabe

If hot pot is the main use, look at whether the opening is wide enough for several people to serve themselves comfortably, and whether the depth and capacity match the quantity you want to make.

If you also expect to use it often for simmered dishes, depth and heat retention are not the only considerations: body weight matters too. A large donabe becomes considerably heavier once water and ingredients are added, so picture carrying it from the cooktop to the table, and washing it afterwards.

Compatibility with ovens, microwaves and dry heating also varies by product. Even within a single kiln’s range, rice pots, simmering pots, steaming pots and vessels rated for dry heating are usually offered as separate lines.

Gas or Induction? How to Check Donabe Compatibility

If you cook on induction, check the manual for the cooktop itself, not only the pot’s product listing. Even a ceramic pot labelled as induction-compatible may not be permitted by the appliance manufacturer.

This deserves particular attention when choosing a donabe. Induction cooktops vary by model in the pan materials and base shapes they will accept.

Panasonic, for instance, advises against using ceramic cookware such as donabe on certain of its built-in induction cooktops, even where an SG mark or an “for induction” indication is present. The reason given is that ceramic pans may prevent the power control from working correctly, or contribute to a fault in the appliance.
(Source: Suitable pans for induction, Panasonic)

Conditions differ from appliance to appliance. So before buying, confirm both that the donabe is rated for induction and that your own cooktop permits that type of pot.

How Induction-Compatible Donabe Work

Ceramic material does not heat on an induction cooktop in the way that iron and certain stainless steel pans do. Induction-compatible donabe therefore combine the clay body with materials or components that generate heat under induction.

The method, however, differs between makers and products. Rather than assuming all induction-compatible donabe are built the same way, read the individual product description and instructions.

An induction rating also does not imply that every cooking method is available: rice, dry heating and grilling are separate questions. Check permitted heat sources and permitted cooking methods as two distinct things.

If You Want to Use a Non-Induction Donabe on an Induction Cooktop

Avoid putting a donabe that is not rated for induction onto an induction cooktop on your own judgement. Even where heat-conducting accessories are sold, you need to confirm that both your cooktop’s manufacturer and the donabe’s maker sanction that method of use.

In particular, where the cooktop manufacturer states that ceramic pans should not be used, even a donabe labelled as induction-compatible may be ruled out.

If you want to use a donabe you already own on induction, do not decide from general advice. Check the model number of your cooktop and follow the manufacturer’s manual and support information.

Heat Source Compatibility Check

• Is your kitchen fitted with a gas hob or an induction cooktop?
• Does the donabe you are considering state its permitted heat sources?
• For induction, does the cooktop manufacturer permit ceramic cookware?
• Does it also cover the cooking methods you want — rice, dry heating, oven use?
• Where anything is unclear, have you checked the manuals from both the donabe maker and the appliance manufacturer?

Iga Ware or Banko Ware: Which Donabe Should You Choose?

Iga ware and Yokkaichi Banko ware are both deeply bound up with donabe making, but the name of the region should not decide the purchase on its own. Understand the clay and the making behind each, then check capacity, weight and permitted heat sources product by product.

Viewed only as “Japanese-style cookware”, the differences between regions are hard to see. But ceramics are closely tied to local clay, to firing, and to accumulated technical knowledge.

Iga ware and Yokkaichi Banko ware are both Traditional Crafts designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. That said, not every product made in either region shares the same material, properties or heat-source compatibility.

What Characterises Iga Ware Donabe

Iga ware is made in and around Iga City in Mie Prefecture. According to the prefectural government, its origins are said to go back roughly 1,200 years to the Tenpyō era, when everyday ceramics began to be fired at Marubashira, an area well supplied with good clay.

From the mid-Edo period onwards, everyday tableware was produced that made use of the fire-resistant qualities of Iga clay. Iga ware has been designated a Traditional Craft by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry since 1 November 1982.
(Source: Iga ware, designated Traditional Craft, Mie Prefectural Government)

Donabe remain one of the cooking vessels most associated with the region today. Nagatanien describes the coarse Iga clay it uses as having a high capacity to store heat, and builds that property into the design of its rice-cooking donabe.
(Source: Kamado-san, Nagatanien)

This does not mean that all Iga ware has identical heat-storing performance, or that all Iga ware can be used over a direct flame.
Check intended use and permitted heat sources on each individual product.

What Characterises Banko Ware Donabe

Yokkaichi Banko ware is made in and around Yokkaichi City in Mie Prefecture. The prefectural government identifies heat resistance as its defining characteristic, and notes that this property underpins the large number of cooking vessels, donabe among them, produced there.

Yokkaichi Banko ware has been designated a Traditional Craft by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry since 12 January 1979.
(Source: Yokkaichi Banko ware, designated Traditional Craft, Mie Prefectural Government)

The prefecture’s description classifies Banko ware as semi-porcelain, a ceramic body with characteristics between earthenware and porcelain. In practice, contemporary Banko ware uses a range of bodies and production methods according to purpose, so it is more accurate not to treat everything from the region as a single material.

Research and product development around clay bodies that limit thermal expansion has also been one of the factors behind the development of heat-resistant cookware in Banko ware.

A Pre-Purchase Checklist and Common Questions

Before buying, work through five areas: heat source, use, capacity, weight and storage. Rather than finding candidates first and comparing them afterwards, writing down the conditions on your own side narrows the field far more quickly.

Pre-Purchase Checklist

• Is your kitchen fitted with gas or induction?
• What will you cook most: rice, hot pot or simmered dishes?
• How many portions do you usually make at once?
• Have you compared the capacity you need against the pan you currently use?
• Will the outer diameter and height fit your storage space?
• Is the body weight something you can handle day to day?
• Could you carry it once filled with water and ingredients?
• Does it cover the methods you need, such as dry heating, oven or microwave use?
• Does it require seasoning before first use?
• Are replacement parts, such as lids, available?

For more on choosing studio-made vessels and ceramics generally, the following article may also be of use.

en.kogei-japonica.com/media

An Expert Guide to Artisan-Made Japanese Tableware: Elevating Your Daily Dining

https://en.kogei-japonica.com/media/crafts/handmade-japanese-tableware/

Artisan-made Japanese tableware has the ability to bring a sense of richness to daily life simply by serving as a vessel for your everyday meals.However, for international designers and new readers drawn to Japanese aesthetics and the value of handcraft, selecting that first piece can feel somewhat intimidating.In this article, drawing on Kogei Japonica's specialized knowledge and factual research, we explain the key points for choosing vessels that fit naturally into your lifestyle.Rath...

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How should I decide on the gō size of a donabe?

Do not decide on the gō size alone. Establish your use and the quantity you need first, then check the outer diameter, height, capacity and weight published by the maker. Pots of similar gō size can differ in capacity and handling depending on their form.

Q2. Can one donabe serve for both rice and hot-pot cooking?

It depends on the product. Some are built around rice, with wall thickness and lids designed accordingly; others are intended for a broad range of hot pot and simmered dishes. Check the cooking methods the maker states.

Q3. If a donabe is labelled induction-compatible, will it work on any induction cooktop?

No. Depending on the manufacturer and model, some induction cooktops rule out ceramic cookware even when it carries an induction-compatible label. Check the manuals for both the pot and the cooktop.

Q4. What size donabe suits someone living alone?

Even for one person, the size needed changes depending on whether you make single-portion hot pot, cook larger batches of simmered dishes, or use it for rice as well. Choosing by capacity and dimensions is more reliable than fixing on a gō size.

Q5. What size should a family of four choose?

For a family of four, the right capacity still depends on the quantity and type of ingredients, and on whether you finish the meal with rice or noodles in the pot. Use the maker’s suggested serving numbers as a reference, then check capacity, depth and weight.

Q6. Donabe are said to be heavy. Should I check the weight too?

Yes. Larger donabe can weigh several kilograms empty, before water and ingredients are added. Consider how easily you can carry it from the cooktop to the table, and wash it afterwards.

Q7. Should I choose Iga ware or Banko ware?

There is no need to decide on the region alone. Iga ware includes cooking donabe that draw on the properties of Iga clay, while Yokkaichi Banko ware has developed donabe making around heat resistance. Ultimately, compare use, capacity, weight and permitted heat sources product by product.

Read only through gō sizes and regional names, a donabe can seem a difficult thing to choose. But settle use, capacity and heat source first, and look at weight, storage, material and region afterwards, and the field narrows considerably.

There is a point to knowing the background of Iga ware and Yokkaichi Banko ware, and it is not to conclude that tradition makes a pot more valuable. It is that understanding why cooking vessels came to be made in a particular place, and with what clay and what technique, lets you read the design of the pot in front of you far more precisely.

A donabe is not a piece of craft that is complete once displayed. It goes on the heat, it sits at the centre of a meal, it is washed and dried and taken down from the shelf again. Its value accrues through that repetition.

Precisely because it is your first, choose not the best known or the most versatile pot, but the one you can see yourself using easily, and for a long time, in the kitchen you actually have.

The post How to Choose a Japanese Donabe: Size, Rice and Induction first appeared on Kogei Japonica.