There are believed to be about 1,300 kinds of traditional crafts in Japan today, with each one bringing together the superlative skills and rich knowledge of the craftspeople.

However, in the absence of the tools and materials used in those techniques, to say nothing of this expertise being passed down to future generations, that knowledge will soon be lost.

The Japan Artisan Foundation was founded to preserve traditional Japanese crafts and the techniques, tools, and materials of the craftspeople as their practitioners, and to enable their ongoing dissemination.

To that end, we observe and record techniques seen in each process of creating traditional crafts. By clarifying the characteristics of each technique and expanding their range of application, we are working to develop new products through a fusion with other craft techniques around the world.

We aim for the permanent transmission of traditional crafts and innovation through the techniques that create them. We believe that herein lies a way for traditional crafts to find a path ahead for the future.