Craft Chronicles
Twice a week,one Japanese craft
Where it started, how it is made, and who is still making it.
Twice a week we publish Craft Chronicles, a media research and archive project on Japanese craft.
Every episode gets verified against primary and secondary sources in Japanese, then translated into a format people actually consume. The research behind the series is the same research we run for clients. The series is public. The sourcing isn’t.
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- 135+
- Episodes

Region
Material
Finish

EP.135 · Yuton · Fukui
The Paper Mat That Outlives You

EP.134 · Tsugaru Vidro · Aomori
The Rainbow Color Born at Sea

EP.133 · Shakuhachi · Akita, Gunma, Chiba
The Flute Built From a Root

EP.132 · Hakata ningyo · Fukuoka
The Doll With a Soul

EP.131 · Nara Sumi · Nara
The Ink That Built Japan

EP.130 · Unshu Soroban · Shimane
The Rhythm of Numbers

EP.129 · Kyo Uchiwa · Kyoto
The Fan Containing Washi Art

EP.128 · Kazos Tegaki Koinobori
A Koi That Lives Beyond the Brush

EP.127 · Nishijin-ori · Kyoto
The Fabric of the Imperial Court

EP.126 · Akazu Yaki · Aichi
The Origin of Japanese Glaze

EP.125 · Wakasa Meno Zaiku · Fukui
The Stone That Burns to Life

EP.124 · Yuntanza Hanaori Minsa · Okinawa
The “Phantom Textile” of Okinawa

EP.123 · Okuaizu Amikumizaiku · Fukushima
Woven by Snow and Time

EP.122 · Tama Ori · Tokyo
The Capital of Mulberry

EP.121 · Akita Sugi Oke Taru · Akita
The Barrel That Breathes

EP.120 · Tokoname Yaki · Aichi
The Teapot That Makes Tea Taste Better

EP.119 · Shiga Warosoku · Shiga
The Flame That Doesn’t Drip

EP.118 · Aji Stone · Kagawa
The Diamond of Granite

EP.117 · Okiagari Koboshi · Fukushima
The Doll That Never Stays Down

EP.116 · Myochin Hibashi · Hyogo
When Armor Became Music

EP.115 · Onta Yaki · Oita
300 Year Legacy, From Father to Son

EP.114 · Tokyo Kumihimo · Tokyo
Edo’s Hidden Language of Silk

EP.113 · Gifu Chochin · Gifu
The Art of Refined Illumination

EP.112 · Banshu Miki Hamono · Hyogo
Japan’s First City of Fire

EP.111 · Oumi Mawata · Shiga
Japan’s Softest Secret

EP.110 · Hasami Yaki · Nagasaki
Porcelain That Feeds a Nation

EP.109 · Imabari Towel · Ehime
The World’s Softest Towels

EP.108 · Sanshin · Okinawa
The Sound of the Ryukyu Islands

EP.107 · Mizu Uchiwa · Gifu
Cooling the Air with Water

EP.106 · Otaru Glass Floats (ukidama) · Hokkaido
When Glass Ruled the Sea

EP.105 · Kamakura Bori · Kanagawa
The Crimson Combination of Blade and Lacquer

EP.104 · Edo Hyogu · Tokyo
The Art Behind the Art

EP.103 · Noto Jofu · Ishikawa
As Light as a Cicada’s Wing

EP.102 · Suruga Take Sensuji Zaiku · Shizuoka
A Thousand Strands of Light

EP.101 · Hikone Butsudan · Shiga
Heaven Crafted by Seven Disciplines

EP.100 · Kanazawa Gold Leaf · Ishikawa
The 1/10,000 mm Miracle

EP.99 · Tsugaru Nuri · Aomori
Beauty Revealed Only Through Relentless Polishing

EP.98 · Shigaraki Yaki · Shiga
The Fire that Birthed the Iconic Tanuki

EP.97 · Edo Oshie Hagoita · Tokyo
A Stage Carved Into Silk and Wood

EP.96 · Kyo Kanoko Shibori · Kyoto
Japan’s Most Intricate Dyeing Technique

EP.95 · Gifu Wagasa · Gifu
The Bamboo that Blossoms in Your Hands

EP.94 · Iwatsuki Dolls · Saitama
Life and Culture Captured in Miniature

EP.93 · Uchiyama-gami · Nagano
Paper Forged in Winter’s Silence

EP.92 · Sanuki Kagari Temari · Kagawa
The Living Geometry of Sanuki Temari

EP.91 · Banshu Soroban · Hyogo
The Craft that Supports Math in Japan

EP.90 · Owari Shippo · Aichi
The Samurai Who Unlocked Enamel’s Secret

EP.89 · Chichibu Meisen · Saitama
Silk That Shimmered in a Thousand Patterns

EP.88 · Wajima-nuri · Ishikawa
The Eternal Strength and Elegance

EP.87 · Kyo-nui · Kyoto
A Dialogue Between Silk and Light

EP.86 · Fukuyama Koto · Hiroshima
The Sound of Perfection

EP.85 · Tosa Uchi Hamono · Kochi
Forged in Freedom

EP.84 · Ichii Itto Bori · Gifu
The Most Noble of Trees

EP.83 · Nanbu Hishizashi · Aomori
Diamonds Against the Cold

EP.82 · Kuromoji Yoji · Chiba
The Fragrant Blade of Hospitality

EP.81 · Takaoka Douki · Toyama
The City of Bronze

EP.80 · Ryukyu Bingata · Okinawa
Colors That Never Fade

EP.79 · Banshu Kebari · Hyogo
A 1cm Work of Art

EP.78 · Osaka Ranma · Osaka
Windows of Light and Air

EP.77 · Honba Oshima Tsumugi · Kagoshima
One of Three World's Top 3 Textiles

EP.76 · Takasaki Daruma · Gunma
A Never-Give Up Charm

EP.75 · Tokyo Ginki · Tokyo
Ginza’s Original Shine

EP.74 · Odaiko · Ishikawa
The Heartbeat of Ishikawa

EP.73 · Koshu Tebori Insho · Yamanashi
Your Identity, Hand-Carved

EP.72 · Honba Kihachijo · Tokyo
The “Final Destination” of Kimono Fabrics?

EP.71 · Sanada Himo · Shiga, Kyoto, Okayama
The Samurai's Secret Cord

EP.70 · Kochi Hoseki Sango · Kochi
The Forbidden One

EP.69 · Tendo Shogi Koma · Yamagata
A Samurai's Side Hustle

EP.68 · Sendai Tansu · Miyagi
Samurai Spirit in a Storage Unit

EP.67 · Echigo Jōfu · Niigata
The Summer Fabric Born from Snow

EP.66 · Nanao Japanese Candles · Ishikawa
Flames of Resilience

EP.65 · Nagaoka Hanabi · Niigata
The World's Largest Fireworks

EP.64 · Ise Katagami · Mie
The Art Behind a Thousand Kimonos

EP.63 · Edo Komon · Tokyo
Patterns You See Only Up Close

EP.62 · Senko Hanabi · Nationwide
Japan’s Most Delicate Summer Bloom

EP.61 · Nibutani Ita · Hokkaido
Carving Ainu Spirit Into Wood

EP.60 · Bizen Osafune · Okayama
A Blade Forged in Unity and Skill

EP.59 · Tokyo Shamisen · Tokyo
The Buzz of Edo Lives On

EP.58 · Miyagi Dento Kokeshi · Miyagi
The Doll to Play, Care, and Love

EP.57 · Odate Mage Wappa · Akita
Bento Boxes Bent by Hand

EP.56 · Bashōfu · Okinawa
The Dragonfly Wing Fabric

EP.55 · Iga Kumihimo · Mie
Ninja Roots, Secret Techniques, Silent Strength

EP.54 · Tosa Washi / Tosa Tengu Joshi · Kochi
The Thinnest Paper in the World

EP.53 · Koshu Suisho Kiseki Zaiku · Yamanashi
Sculpting Light From Stone

EP.52 · Kiso Shikki · Nagano
A Life Treasure Tempered by Clay

EP.51 · Nanbu Tekki · Iwate
Iron Pot with Health Benefits?

EP.50 · Matcha · Shizuoka, Aichi, Kyoto, Kagoshima
A Silent Ceremony in Every Grain

EP.49 · Ryukyu Glass · Okinawa
From Shattered History to Shimmering Art

EP.48 · Yakusugi · Kagoshima
A Craft, Millennia in the Making

EP.47 · Miyakonojo Daikyu · Miyazaki
The World’s Longest Bow, Handcrafted to Perfection

EP.46 · Shichitoui · Oita
A Grass Worth Smuggling

EP.45 · Higo Zogan · Kumamoto
Gold in the Shadow of Steel

EP.44 · Nagasaki Shishu · Nagasaki
Sea Life in Silk

EP.43 · Arita Yaki (Imari-yaki) · Saga
Porcelain for the Royals

EP.42 · Yame Chochin · Fukuoka
Illuminating the Spirit of Tradition

EP.41 · Tosa Binchotan · Kochi
The "Black Diamond" of Kochi

EP.40 · Kagawa Lacquerware · Kagawa
The Most Diverse and Colorful Lacquer in Japan

EP.39 · Awa Ai · Tokushima
The Living Heart of Japan Blue

EP.37 · Kumano Brush · Hiroshima
Brush Queen Hailing from a Mountain Town

EP.10 · Kiryu Ori · Gunma
Kiryu Ori: Legendary Kiryu Silk Textiles

EP.9 · Nikko Bori · Tochigi
Nikko-bori: Historic Nikko Wood Carving

EP.8 · Makabe Ishidoro · Ibaraki
Makabe Ishidōrō: Wabi-sabi Stone Lanterns

EP.7 · Akabeko · Fukushima
The Red Cow of Resilience

EP.6 · Oitama Tsumugi · Yamagata
Oitama Tsumugi: Yamagata Silk Textile

EP.5 · Kaba Zaiku · Akita
Your Own Personal Sakura Tree

EP.4 · Shiroishi Washi · Miyagi
The Paper that Ended the War

EP.3 · Hidehira-nuri · Iwate
Hidehira Nuri: Iwate Gold Lacquerware

EP.2 · Kingyo Neputa · Aomori
Kingyo Neputa: Historic Goldfish Lanterns of Aomori

EP.1 · Nibutani Attus · Hokkaido
A Textile Made Out of Trees?
Partner with the series
Craft Chronicles reaches people who care about how things are actually made.
We work with a small number of partners each season, and we are always open to makers and institutions with a craft worth documenting.