Echizen Lacquerware
Echizen lacquerware has a history of around 1,500 years and originated in what is today the city of Sabae. Woodworkers, lacquerers, and decorators work collectively to produce Echizen lacquer products, known for their brilliant luster and warm beauty. Visitors can explore this tradition at the Echizen Lacquerware Hall, which has displays on the history and production of the craft in the region. There are also exhibits of remarkable works, including a lacquerware festival float. At scheduled times, artisans demonstrate wood carving, painting, and decorating techniques. You can take part in workshops to lacquer wooden items or decorate pre-lacquered objects with paint or powdered precious metals.
Echizen Blades
The tradition of blade-making in Echizen began around 700 years ago, when a Kyoto swordsmith settled in the region to craft high-quality tools for local farmers. Echizen blades are lightweight and renowned for their durability, sharpness. This is a result of a unique forging process that is still largely performed by hand. To experience this artistry, visit Takefu Knife Village, a collective of skilled smiths from across the region. At this blade-making hub, you can watch craftspeople at work, take part in sharpening and forging workshops, and purchase high-quality knives and other tools.
Echizen Washi
During the winter, it was common for farmers to make washi paper to supplement their incomes. In the Goka district of Echizen, this eventually became the main industry. It is said that the region’s clear and cold river water is ideal for making washi: the clean water helps to wash impurities from plant fibers in the early stages of production, and the low temperature makes the fibers contract, giving the paper a crisp finish. Echizen washi is renowned for its quality and has long been used in art, calligraphy, and decoration. The area remains one of Japan’s largest producers of handmade washi, with over 60 paper workshops still in operation.
Visitors can explore Echizen Washi Village to learn more about Echizen washi through its numerous dedicated facilities. Learn about the craft’s origins and versatility at the Museum of Washi and Culture, and watch artisans processing fibers, forming sheets, and drying paper using traditional methods at the Udatsu Craft Center. The center hosts paper-making workshops where you can try making washi yourself. At Papyrus House, there are short courses where participants can decorate paper with colorful dyes and pressed flowers.
Echizen Pottery
Echizen pottery has been produced since the Heian period (794–1185) and is known for its durability and reddish-brown color, a result of the region’s iron-rich clay. In the nineteenth century, kitamaebune merchant ships transported Echizen pottery to ports along the Sea of Japan, popularizing the craft. The Echizen Pottery Village continues to preserve and promote this ceramic tradition for future generations.
This complex includes the Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics, where visitors can learn about Echizen pottery and see examples of its craftsmanship. There are also hands-on workshops that allow participants to create pottery or decorate pre-made pieces. The Echizen Old Kiln Museum, established for the research of Echizen pottery, has a traditional Japanese tearoom where guests can enjoy tea in an authentic setting. Additionally, shops in the area sell a variety of handcrafted wares.
Echizen Chests
Echizen chests (tansu) are known for their sturdiness, elegant designs, and nail-free joinery The chests are coated with lacquer for protection and finished with iron fittings for durability and ornamentation. Echizen chests have been made in Fukui since the late Edo period (1603–1867), when woodworkers settled in the neighborhoods of Honmachi and Motomachi in Echizen. The area came to be known as "Tansu Town," and furniture shops continue to line the streets. The shops sell a range of items, from furniture made with traditional techniques to more contemporary designs. Items such as toys and small goods are popular souvenirs. Some furniture stores such as kicoru host workshops to create small jewelry from leftover wood.
Wakasa Chopsticks
For over 400 years, Wakasa lacquered chopsticks have been produced in Obama, a city said to account for about 80% of Japan’s lacquered chopstick production today. Distinguished by their elegant designs and glossy finish, these utensils are created through a meticulous process, coated multiple times and inlaid with decorative materials, including seashells, eggshells, pine leaves, and gold leaf. At the Wakasa Chopstick Museum, there are more than 3,000 beautifully crafted chopsticks on display. Visitors can polish and decorate their own pair in workshops held at the museum.
Agate Crafts
Wakasa agate crafts have been made in the city of Obama for over 270 years and are recognized as Japan’s first gemstone craft. Agates are stones that form within volcanic or metamorphic rocks. While they come in a wide variety of colors, artisans in Obama are known for creating works with deep red hues that seem to glow as light passes through them. This effect is achieved through a distinctive heating process. Carefully selected pieces of agate are placed on a bed of ash and coals and heated at a precise temperature to enhance the stone’s natural translucency. These are then crafted into utensils, jewelry, and ornaments, such as animal figurines. Agate jewelry polishing workshops are available at the Miketsukuni Wakasa Obama Food Culture Museum.
