1000+ year heritage, for the present.
Who makes it, what it is made of, and why it still matters.
Japanese Sword: Katana
The Japanese sword is a curved, single-edged blade forged in Japan from tamahagane steel, in forms that include the tachi and the…
Tsumami Kanzashi
Take a single square of silk, barely a few centimeters across. Pinch it with a pair of tweezers, fold it, and set…
Seki Knives: Why Japan’s 800-Year Blade City Still Makes Exceptional Kitchen Knives
A good kitchen knife changes the way you cook. Not in a dramatic way. More quietly. Vegetables become easier to prepare. Meat…
Kamakurabori: 800 Years of Samurai Art & Urushi
Kamakurabori (also written Kamakura-bori) is a carved wood lacquerware craft made in and around Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Artisans carve patterns by hand…
Japanese Beer Glass “Geek Glass”: 300 Years of Craftsmanship
Geek Glass is a handmade craft beer glass made by Tajima Glass, an Edo Glass maker in Edogawa, Tokyo. Its rounded bowl…
Japanese Pottery Types: 20 Famous Styles and How to Tell Them Apart
Japanese pottery is not one single style. Across Japan, different regions have developed their own clay, firing methods, glazes, colors, and shapes.…
Beginner’s Guide to Warosoku: How to Use Japanese Candles
A soft, wavering light once defined the atmosphere of traditional Japanese temples, serene tea rooms, and thoughtfully curated homes. This was the…
Sori Yanagi: A Design Philosophy Shaped by Hand
Sori Yanagi (1915 to 2011) is the Japanese industrial designer who created the Butterfly Stool and shaped furniture, tableware and kitchen tools…
Have You Heard of Warosoku? The Story of the “Breathing” Japanese Candle
Do you use a candle in your daily life? Our world is saturated with light. It fills our rooms at the flick…