Japan’s Living Heritage: Inside the 243 Traditional Crafts

Japan officially recognizes 243 “Traditional Crafts” under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. The total reached 243 on October 17, 2024, when Sado Mumyoi-yaki (Niigata) and Izumi Glass (Osaka) were newly designated. These aren’t just labels—they’re commitments to skills, materials, and production ecosystems that have endured for a century or more.

What “Traditional Craft” means (in plain language)

A craft may be designated “traditional” in Japan when it is:

• used in daily life,

• predominantly handmade,

• made with techniques continued for ~100+ years,

• created with traditional materials, and

• rooted in a production area with an active community of makers.

Why this matters: Designation isn’t only honorific. It also enables producer associations to access official support (e.g., successor training and demand cultivation) so preservation becomes a viable future—not just a memory.

The national tapestry (regions & categories)

Every prefecture in Japan now has at least one nationally designated craft. As of October 26, 2023, Tokyo held the highest number at 22 national designations, followed by Kyoto (17), Niigata (16), and Okinawa (16). (Counts evolve as new designations are added.)

Across Japan, designated crafts span woven & dyed textiles, ceramics & glassware, lacquerware (urushi), wood & bamboo, metalwork, washi, stonework, and dolls/figurative arts—each shaped by local climate, resources, and aesthetics.

Two newcomers to the national roster (2024)

Sado Mumyoi-yaki — Niigata

A pottery lineage built on iron-rich red clay (mumyoi-do) associated with Sado’s historic gold mines. Its fine particles and high shrinkage yield dense, resonant ware with a distinctive surface tone—techniques trace back centuries.

Izumi Glass — Osaka

A lampworked “soft glass” tradition consolidated in the Meiji era, known for richly colored beads used in devotional and fashion contexts—an urban craft nurtured by Osaka’s trade routes.

(Both were newly designated on Oct 17, 2024.) 

Everyday objects, extraordinary meanings

Japan’s designated crafts are meant to be lived with—serving tea, lighting a room, tying a gift. Consider mizuhiki: decorative cords used on ceremonial envelopes and gifts, symbolizing connection and care at important life moments.

These are not museum pieces. They’re living tools that gather patina, memory, and meaning—linking maker, material, and moment.

How designation helps (now)

• Transmission: Visibility and targeted support help workshops train new artisans and keep supply chains (wood, clay, paper mulberry, lacquer sap) viable.

• Trust: Clear documentation under recognized associations strengthens provenance for designers, collectors, and museums.

• Market access: Coordinated promotion puts regional crafts on the map—domestically and abroad.

  
  

Field notes: reading craft in place

• Red clay, red tone (Niigata): Iron-rich mumyoi-do from Sado → dense ware with deep surface character.

• Urban lampworking (Osaka): Izumi Glass evolved through devotional/fashion uses of colored beads along Osaka trade routes.

• Meaning in a knot (nationwide): Mizuhiki cords communicate intention—respect, celebration, continuity—far beyond decoration.

  
  

If you’re a designer, collector, or curious traveler

• Look for provenance. Check the maker, place, technique, materials—and whether a cooperative or association backs the item.

• Choose daily-use pieces. A tray, textile, or tea bowl keeps tradition in your routines.

• Visit production areas. Workshops, local museums, and regional associations illuminate the “why” behind the “how.”

  
  

Closing

Japan’s designated crafts form a living commons—techniques honed across generations, anchored in place, and designed for everyday life. Whether you encounter a red-clay tea cup from Sado or a softly shimmering glass bead from Izumi, you’re touching an ecosystem of people, memory, and material knowledge. The 243 official designations are a testament to continuity—and an invitation to engage with beauty where purpose and soul are inseparable.

If you’re exploring pieces for a project or collection, BeART World JAPAN can help navigate provenance, documentation, and placement—pairing each work with a maker story and a digital Certificate of Authenticity.

Sources:

• Website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan — New Designation of Sado Mumyoi-Yaki and Izumi Glass as Traditional Crafts under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (accessed on 2025/10/08). METI Japan

• Website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan — New Designation of Tokyo Honzome Chusen as a Traditional Craft under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (accessed on 2025/10/08). METI Japan

• Website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan — New Designation of Tokyo Shamisen, Tokyo Koto, and Edo Hyogu as Traditional Crafts under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (designation criteria summary; accessed on 2025/10/08). METI Japan

Edited/processed content notice (PDL 1.0): Created by BeART World JAPAN based on information from the Website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (see sources above).