Three Crafts Newly Designated as Traditional Crafts

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry newly designated Hakone Odawara Karakuri Zaiku in Kanagawa Prefecture, and Kyo Take Kogei and Kyo Shippo in Kyoto Prefecture, as traditional crafts under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries.

The three items were reviewed by the Traditional Craft Designation Subcommittee of the Commerce, Distribution and Information Policy Committee of the Industrial Structure Council on August 24, 2026, and their new designations were approved before being published in the Official Gazette.

The new designations allow the use of the name “Traditional Craft.”

When local industry associations and other organizations prepare promotion plans and related plans and obtain certification, they can use the Traditional Craft Industries Support Subsidy for efforts to train successors and develop demand. Use of the subsidy is expected to contribute to promoting the traditional craft industries as a whole through the development of production areas.

The Traditional Craft Industries Promotion Act sets the designation requirements for traditional crafts: they must be used mainly in everyday life; the main part of their production must be conducted by hand; traditional techniques, methods, and raw materials must be used; and a substantial number of people must produce them or be engaged in their production within a defined region.

The designation details were changed as follows: for Kyo Ningyo in Kyoto Prefecture, techniques, methods, and raw materials were changed to add “byobu” (folding screens); for Kutani Yaki in Ishikawa Prefecture, techniques and methods were changed to include products without painted decoration; for Kaga Yuzen, techniques and methods were added to allow resist paste application; and for Miyako Jofu in Okinawa Prefecture, techniques and methods were changed to cover plain, striped, and checkered patterns.