Artisan Heritage in Tokyo’s Shitamachi, traditional District

Edo Kiriko

Tokyo’s Taito and Sumida cities are famous for being home to familiar tourist attractions. 

However, beyond the façade of vibrant retro shopping streets, the area has also long been renowned as a thriving center of “monozukuri,” Japan’s distinct art of handmade craftsmanship. 

Asakusa flourished as the dynamic heart of commerce and fashion in the Edo period (17th to 19th centuries), attracting craftsmen from far and wide. Additionally, this hub for shipping along the Sumida River further enhanced its prosperity. Many water-intensive manufacturing industries, such as leather and glass, also gathered in this area where, even today, a wide variety of workshops still line the streets.

Read on to find out more about artisans in the area, and products made with exceptional skills passed down for generations. Workshops under the direct guidance of master artisans also provide firsthand experiences of this one-of-a-kind culture in Tokyo. Try this kind of eye-opening, artistic and cultural experiences between seeing the sights of the city.

Edo Kiriko

Edo Kiriko refers to a category of glasswork from Tokyo since the Edo period, made by carving delicate patterns into glass, a process known as Kiriko manufacturing. Since the late Edo period this local industry has developed in the city’s older areas and is now designated “Traditional Crafts of Tokyo,” as well as one of the "Traditional Crafts of Japan" designated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.The traditional good luck motifs and patterns created by each workshop, carved into colored glass thinner than 1 mm, create a strikingly beautiful play of light and reflection. They are the quintessential souvenir of Tokyo. Be sure to check out one of the workshops, as some of them offer English guidance for carving these patterns. The Edo Kiriko Cooperative Association showroom exhibits and sells a variety of Edo Kiriko glass products.
Edo Kiriko Cooperative Association Official Site (Japanese site only)

Folding Screens

As shelter from the wind, and partitions of space, folding screens have been an essential of people’s lives since olden times. Since being introduced from China over 1,300 years ago, their evolution in Japan has been unique, becoming decorative furnishings considered as fine art.

folding screens

Kataoka Byoubu near the base of the TOKYO SKYTREE in Sumida City’s Mukojima area is the only store in Tokyo specializing in folding screens. To incorporate this traditional art into modern living, the store is making and selling original products. Also, it is enthusiastically working on made-to-order screens, as well as collaborations with manga. The store offers folding screens of various sizes and patterns, including ones featuring art by Katsushika Hokusai, the famous “ukiyo-e” artist from Sumida City.

To preserve and promote the culture of folding screens, the store has a Byoubu Museum, which features tools used in the creation process, panel displays, and provides opportunities to learn about folding screens.
Kataoka Byoubu (Japanese site only)

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