Traditional Crafts
Fukuoka Prefecture is home to many different traditional crafts that continue to be made using skills and production methods dating back centuries. While each and every process is performed completely by hand, these elaborate and refined craftworks are more precise than items made by machine, capturing the hearts of those who behold them. Craftworks created based on the resources and customs of Fukuoka include not only traditional works but also a range of new products suited to contemporary lifestyles, and are also popular with overseas tourists as souvenirs of Fukuoka.
Now we will introduce you to 7 Nationally-Designated Craftworks and 35 Prefecturally-Designated Craftworks.
Traditional Crafts designated by the Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry
This designation is granted by the Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry to traditional crafts that meet all the criteria set out in the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (mainly, traditional crafts used in daily life that are largely made by hand and which employ technologies and techniques that have been in continuous use for a century or more).
7 traditional crafts in Fukuoka Prefecture have received this designation, and their practitioners work tirelessly to maintain a degree of perfection worthy of this prestigious accolade.
Special Works of Art/Craft designated by the Governor of Fukuoka
This designation is granted to traditional crafts produced in Fukuoka Prefecture that embody local life and which meet certain criteria in terms of tradition (such as techniques and skills with a history of half a century or more that are still being used to this day).
To date, 35 types of traditional craft have received this designation, all of which are loved by people not only in Fukuoka but throughout Japan.
- Dyed fabrics
- Dolls
- Ceramics
- Buddhist altars/fittings
- Woodwork/bamboo work
- Folk Crafts
- Glasswork
- Lacquerware
- Stone crafts
- Metalwork
- Handmade Japanese paper
- Other craftworks
Dyed fabrics
Ceramics
Buddhist altars/fittings
Woodwork/bamboo work
Folk Crafts
Glasswork
Lacquerware
Stone crafts
Metalwork
Handmade Japanese paper
Other craftworks
Regarding the Traditional Craft Product Logo
Guaranteed traditional handmade products
This logo is a symbol of authenticity granted to traditional craft products designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry according to the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. Products bearing this logo have undergone a rigorous inspection by a local production association to check whether they meet the above criteria. The logo provides a guarantee to customers that the product in question has been created with pride and responsibility.
What are traditional craft products?
- ・Traditional craft products add a sense of richness and charm to our daily lives.
- ・The manufacturing processes that may influence these products’ distinctive qualities have been taken care of by hand and not mass-produced by machines.
- ・Products of this kind have been created using traditional Japanese technologies and skills that boast an unbroken lineage of at least a century.
- ・Materials that have been used traditionally for at least a century are still utilized in order to maintain the products’ quality and bring out their distinctive characteristics.
- ・They have been created in a specific region.