Interviews

buntA: Waraji Sandals Born from Medical Insoles in Kobe

We visited Fuji Koatsu Products in Kobe, the rubber maker behind buntA, to see how a material made for medical insoles became a sandal that helps you walk with all five toes.

cobcob: Ballpoint Pens from Fragrant Yoshino Cedar Burls

We visited forester Mr. Morimoto in Sakurai, Nara, who turns rare, fragrant burls of Yoshino cedar into handmade ballpoint pens under the name cobcob.

Osaka Suzuki: 300 Years of Osaka Tinware

We visited Osaka Suzuki, the company that carries on nearly all of Osaka's 300-year-old tinware tradition, and found a workshop full of young craftsmen.

Takaokaya: The Art of Relaxing, from a Kyoto Futon Maker

We visited Takaokaya, a Kyoto futon maker founded in 1919, to learn how its craftsmen turned their skills to the art of relaxing, and the secrets of the Ojami cushion.

sufuto: Tsuzure Weaving, Woven with the Fingernails

We visited Kiyohara Orimono in Shiga, the Nishijin weaving house behind sufuto, to learn about tsuzure weaving and the extraordinary fingernail technique of tsume-kaki.

SHINTO TOWEL: The Ultimate Towel from Senshu, Osaka

We visited Shinto Towel in Senshu, Osaka, the birthplace of Japanese towels, to learn how a 1907 towel mill created its own brand and three "ultimate" towels.

BANSHU HAMONO: Ono's Scissors and the Story of "101"

We visited Ono, Hyogo, home of Banshu Hamono scissors, to learn how a centuries-old blade-making town is fighting to pass on its skills, one percent at a time.

/fan/fun: Kyoto Folding Fans, Made by Hand

We visited Minoya Senpo, a Kyoto folding fan maker founded in 1894, to see how its fans are made and why it launched its own brand, /fan/fun.

clife: Brass and Leather from an Osaka Metalworks

We visited Unai Kinzoku Kogyo in Osaka, the metalworking company behind clife, to learn how its brass and pit-tanned leather accessories are designed and made in-house.

hirali: The Rare Art of Roller-Printed Tenugui

We visited Takeno Senko in Sakai, Osaka, the maker behind hirali, to learn how its craftsmen reinvented roller printing to dye tenugui in a different color on each side.