Saitama City’s Traditional Arts

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Establishments Continuing Traditional Arts/Crafts

The business establishments that have inherited traditional handicraft techniques, influenced are designated as by the Edo culture originated in Musashi no kuni in Saitama City as “Business Establishments Inheriting Traditional Handicraft Techniques”.

Kiritansu

Kiritansu are furniture for storage made of paulownia said to have originally been manufactured in Osaka at the beginning of the Edo period. Paulownia is a “breathable” material, suitable for storing clothes in places like Japan where the humidity is quite high. It is also highly fire resistant and durable.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Fujimoto Kirizai-ten 6-1646-4 Mihashi, Nishi Ward
090-1817-7034  
Yokomizo Tansu-ten  1002 Kamikocho, Omiya Ward
048-641-6536 Yokomizo Tansu-ten Website

Mokko(Usukine)

mokko

Mokko manufacturing methods originated from the “Ittobori” carving technique which was first used by an artisan involved in building Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine during the Edo period. Mokko manufacturers originally made mortars and pestles for pounding mochi using whole pieces of wood carved with the Ittobori technique. Currently they are manufacturing goods such as desks and chairs as well.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Kose Mokko 3-7-11 Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward
048-756-1489 Kose Mokko

To seihin・kako

to_seihin

Rattan, a kind of wicker, has been used to make training swords as well as the ridge joints of shrines and temples since the Heian period. In the Edo period, rattan was used as a material for everyday tools. After the Meiji period, it has been utilized to make chairs, baby carriages, and other furniture and products for daily use.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Hashimoto To-kogei 4-26-1 Kishicho, Urawa Ward
048-822-8422 Hashimoto To-kogei

Wasao

wasao

Wasao, a type of cane-pole, are made by coating a bamboo pole with Japanese lacquer. The product had achieved a level of mastery high enough to be called an artistic handicraft by the late Edo period. The entire process from cutting the bamboo to coating it is done by hand.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Masayusaku 2569-2 Oyaguchi, Minami Ward
048-873-3324  

Tsumami-kanzashi

Tsumami-kanzashi

Tsumami-kanzashi (traditional hairpins) are made with “tsumami” workmanship, where thin pieces of cloth are cut into small squares, folded several times with a tweezers and matched together to create a pattern of flowers and birds. The “tsumami” technique for creating flower-petal hairpins was passed on from Kyoto in the early Edo period and has continued to develop since then.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Edo tsumami-kanzashi Umino 2-391-4 Kitabukurocho, Omiya Ward
048-642-0515 Edo tsumami-kanzashi Umino Website

Hinaningyo-yo zoka

Hinaningyo-yo zoka

Hinaningyo-yo zoka (artificial flowers) used to be made by artisans in the Asakusa area during the Edo Period as ornaments for the Girl’s Festival. Hinaningyo-yo zoka became popular as common people began to cerebrate Girl’s Day. The artificial flowers are hand-made by cutting cloth, dyeing the peices, arranging them into the desired shape, and binding them with paper and string.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Okahan 3-2-8 Daitakubo, Midori Ward
048-882-8294 Okahan

Gakubuchi

Gakubuchi

With the introduction of oil-painting from Europe in the Meiji period, manufacturers began full-scale operations creating frames for paintings (gakubuchi).

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Ota Bijutsu-gakubuchi 4-16-39 Bessho, Minami Ward
048-861-5318 Ota Bijutsu-gakubuchi Website

Koto, Shamisen

Koto, Shamisen

It is said that shamisen first appeard at the end of the Muromachi period. Since the Edo period, the playing of the shamisen has attained a permanent place among traditional Japanese performance arts, together with the development of Joruri puppet theater and kabuki music. The manufacturing of shamisen has increased as traditional Japanese music continues to develop.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Kikuya Gakki-ten Lumiere Tokiwa 1F-B, 2-8-8 Tokiwa, Iwatsuki Ward
048-822-5779  

Fude

Gamodo

With the emergence of the merchant class in the mid-Edo period, the number of “Terakoya” (temple schools) increased significantly. As a result, fude (ink brushes) became widely used among the common people. The technique of the Edo fude artisans further improved to the point that some of the brushes produced are referred to as “masterpieces”.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Gamodo 2-12-20-3 Takasago, Urawa Ward (Magazan Urawa 2F)
048-822-1105  

Kendogu

Kendogu

Kendo (the way of the sword) had been passed on through the generations in the samurai class since before the Edo period. Since kendo equipment such as the bamboo sword were invented, kendo has spread among the common people, and the number of artisans had increased as well. The manufacturing process from measurement, to sewing, through assembly is all done by hand.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Suzuki Kendogu-ten 4-20-2 Takasago, Urawa Ward
048-862-4528  

Kumihimo

Kumihimo

Braided code has been used from a long time ago for Buddhist sutra scrolls and warriors’ armor. It had developed to be widely used for obi, belt and obi band. After the Edo period, the use of braided code expanded from practical to more luxurious and sophisticated ones.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Kawakatsu Kumihimo 2-235 Takahanacho, Omiya Ward
048-641-1671  
Kobo Chigusa 2-21-1 Kakura, Iwatsuki Ward
048-757-1720  
Taguchi Kumihimo-kogyo  665 Kagiage, Iwatsuki Ward
048-798-6361  
Nakagawa Kumihimo-kogei 3-5-26 Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward
048-756-0313  
Fukai Kumihimo-kogei 4-8-3 Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward
048-756-0165  
Yokotsuka Himo-kogei 1-14-4 Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward
048-758-0249  

Kumade

Kumade

Rake is considered lucky charm as it is “raking luck”. The okame (female mask), crane, pine, oval gold coin, and red sea bream that decorate the rake are also considered lucky charms. The materials are colored and woven one by one manually by artisans.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Nishiichi 2891 Daitakubo, Minami Ward
048-882-6161  
Nishino 2772 Daitakubo, Minami Ward
048-881-1317  
Nishifuji  2886 Daitakubo, Minami Ward
048-882-6870 Nishifuji Website
Nishimasa 2998-2 Daitakubo, Minami Ward
048-887-5625  

Daruma

Daruma

Daruma dolls are made using a special paper-mâché technique in which used paper is pasted into a wooden mold. After adding several layers of whiting and color, a big mustache and fine patterns are drawn to create the Daruma’s face and outfit. The Daruma doll gained popularity among the common people during the Edo period as a lucky charm for protecting one’s family.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Iwatsuki Seikei 2258 Sueda, Iwatsuki Ward
048-798-0945  
Taguchi Daruma-ten 2004 Sueda, Iwatsuki Ward
048-798-0329  

Omiya

Omiya

“Omiya” means shrine, and the artisans working for shrines are called “Miyashi”. It is said that the artisans who built Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine settled in this area and thus it is known for its manufacturing of o-fuda (household amulets) and kamidana (household shrines).

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Miyashige・Sekine Omiya-seisakujo 278-3 Oguchi, Iwatsuki Ward
048-799-1408 Miyashige・Sekine Omiya-seisakujo Website
Omiya Miyazen 1-99-3 Takahanacho, Omiya Ward
048-641-3152 Omiya Miyazen Website
Miyahiro Omiya-seisakusho 413 Oguchi, Iwatsuki Ward
048-799-0288 Miyahiro Omiya-seisakusho Website

Shippo

Shippo

This traditional glazing technique, known as “cloisonné” in the West, involves applying glaze to gold, silver, or bronze and baking it at 800℃ in an oven. The exquisite colors and glazing are compared to the Seven Treasures (Shippo) in the Buddhist sutras. Thus, the technique is refferred to in Japan as “shippo”.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Katsura Shippo-kenkyujo 1-6-27 Numakage, Minami Ward
048-705-0254 Katsura Shippo-kenkyujo Website
Ninomiya Kara-shippo 3-10-19 Shirahata, Minami Ward
048-861-6337  

Chokin

Chokin

Chokin is a traditional technique by which pictures, patterns and characters are delicately engraved on a metal plate with pine resin. It is used to decorate tea ware, flower vases, frames, obi fasteners, and various accessories giving them elegance and a taste.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Kawamura Chokoku 6-19-29 Nishibori, Sakura Ward
048-862-5329 Kawamura Chokoku Website

Nihonto

Nihonto

The forging of swords (katana) in Japan has developed into a high art which has been retained to this day. Since ancient times, katana have been made from black iron sand, which is forged, hardened and shaped in the attempt to make them unbreakable, unbending, and razor sharp.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Arai Nihonto-tanrenjo 3-17-22 Honcho, Iwatsuki Ward
048-756-0365  

Edo Azuma Kushi

Nihonto

Edo Azuma Kushi combs are made of rare domestic Japanese boxwood and elaborately handcrafted by craftsmen. As they are used, they take on a candy-colored appearance, and if they are not neglected, they will last long enough to be used for generations to come.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Hiroshima Tsugegushi-ten 5-10-9 Suzuya, Chuo Ward
048-711-8007  

Goseki Hariko

Nihonto

These local toys were made in Goseki, Sakura-ku, and include daruma dolls, dolls, and masks. The dolls are characterized by the way they shake their heads vertically. Hariko are made of water-absorbed washi paper (Japanese paper) that is pasted onto a wooden mold, dried, pulled out of the mold, formed and colored, with a hollow inside.

Photo Name Address Tel Website
Goseki Hariko Yamazaki Rakuzan 382 Okuboryoke, Sakura Ward
048-858-6770