This is a list of Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan. As of January 24, 2026, there were 229 designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties.
Selection Criteria Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties are designated based on the following designation criteria:
Categories Necessities of life: clothes, accessories, eating and drinking tools, household furnishings and other residential items Manufacture, livelihood: farming implements, fishing and hunting gear, artisan tools, spinning and weaving equipment, other items related to work Traffic, transportation, communication: means of transport, boats, express messenger implements and other items related to barriers Trade, commerce: calculation and measurement tools, signs, licenses, and other shop related items Social life: gift exchange, implements for guards and judgements, boarding houses Religious faith: ritual implements, implements for Buddhist mass, votive offerings, idols, magic implements, and other items associated with shrines Knowledge of folk customs: calendars, implements for fortune telling, medical tools, and other items related to institutional education Folk entertainment, amusement, games: costumes, implements, musical instruments, masks, dolls, toys, and other items related to the stage Related to the life of people: upbringing, important celebrations in family relationships, maternity rooms Annual functions or events: implements for the Japanese New Year, seasonal festivals or the Bon Festival
Criteria Materials from any of the above categories are then judged based on whether they exemplify: historical change a characteristic typical for the period a regional characteristic a characteristic of the level of life a functional aspect
Statistics + Statistics for Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties Category National Treasures Necessities of life 29 Manufacture, livelihood 102 Traffic, transportation, communication 19 Trade, commerce 1 Social life 1 Religious faith 41 Knowledge of folk customs 7 Folk entertainment, amusement, games 23 Related to the life of people 3 Annual functions or events 3
Designated cultural properties
Necessities of life
+ Necessities of life Name Criteria Remarks Location 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Collection of 750 articles originating from a horse-riding ground and donations including 197 items related to necessities of life, 174 to manufacture, 9 to transportation, 362 to religion and 8 musical instruments 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Collection of implements used by the Ainu people around Nibutani in their daily life. Total of 1,121 items including 82 articles of clothing, 263 related to manufacture and livelihood, 47 to traffic and communication, 98 to social life, 376 to religion, 13 to the knowledge of folk customs, 22 to entertainment and games, 42 to the lifetime of a person 1.1, 2.3 786 quilted articles of clothes from southern Tsugaru area with design based on the diamond shape, including 175 long, 174 short, 76 sleeveless, 374 tatsuke working trousers, and 37 maedare 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 64 articles of quilted work clothes from southern Aomori Prefecture including 31 items of long and short type, 6 sleeveless items, 22 yamabakama, and 5 maedare 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 1,792 items including 297 articles related to clothing, 170 to eating habits, 192 to manners of housing, 704 to manufacture and livelihood, 75 to traffic and communication, 272 to transportation, 63 to entertainment and games, 19 to religion 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Collection of 59 items from Tōhoku used for covering the face during manual labour including: 20 head cloths, 35 kerchiefs, 3 furoshiki and 1 other article 1.1, 2.3, 2.5 Items of daily use such as mortars, bowls and containers characteristic of life in mountain villages and carved by hand from wood. Total of 229 articles including 122 wooden bowls, 25 mortars, 19 salt containers, 15 "soro," 48 other items, and 21 tools. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Work clothes from the Shōnai region made of various materials such as hemp and cotton. Total of 126 articles including 68 pieces of long/short clothing, 49 no-sleeve pieces, and 9 work hakama. 1.1, 2.3 Sake casks, decanter and cups from Yamagata Prefecture, many of which are lacquered and were congratulary gifts or used in celebrations or on outings. Total of 77 articles including 38 casket-shaped sake vessels, 17 variegated sake vessels, 10 sake bottles/lipped bowls, and 12 sake cups. 1.1, 2.3 Everyday pottery produced in Tsuruoka from the Edo period to the mid-Meiji period. 234 articles in total including 101 sake bottles, 50 items for blanching food (yudooshi) and 83 other items. 1.1, 1.2 One minka house from a mountain community and 2,797 items including articles related to manufacture (506), daily existence (1893), religion (190), others (208). 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 One minka house and 1,209 items including articles related to clothing (33), eating habits (43), manner of housing (23), agriculture (38), fishing (17), sericulture (358), spinning and weaving (193), various professions (30), trade (15), religion (302), folk knowledge (35), and 22 others. The house was established in 1847 and was the main residence of the Shimoda family. It was donated in 1979 to Hamura city. , hip-and-gable (irimoya-zukuri), grass thatched roof. 1.1, 2.1, 2.3 Collection of 119 pieces of mountain hakama (yama-bakama) and other work clothes including 42 tachitsuke pants, 50 monpe women's work pants, 14 trousers of karusan style and 13 others. 1.1, 2.2, 2.3 Collection of 469 uchiori, articles of clothing for home use made by farmer women from scrap material. The articles date from the early Meiji period to the Shōwa period and include haori, hanten, chanchanko (チャンチャンコ), (襦袢), koshimaki (腰巻), obi, tabi, gloves, furoshiki and bags. Also included in the designation are collected raw materials and tools. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 3,868 items including 569 articles related to clothing, 655 to eating habits, 575 to manners of housing, 1,285 to manufacture and livelihood, 97 to traffic and communication, 171 to transportation, 19 for social life, 25 related to knowledge of folk customs, 226 to entertainment and games, 246 related to etiquette. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Various objects for use during the winter period in Tōhoku: headgear, straw raincoats, gloves, sow hakama, snow shoes, footwear (hakimono), leather-soled sandals, gliding implements, tools for snow removal, and hunting equipment. 243 plus 3 items including 119 accessories, 65 articles related to communication, 15 related to transport, 21 to snow removal, 17 articles of hunting equipment and 6 other articles. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 2,236 items for use in the winter period including articles related to transportation, communication, amusement and games. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 1,331 items from Shiramine mountain village including: articles related to slash-and-burn agriculture (275), sericulture (107), handwork (116), transport and trade (126), clothing (250), eating habits (275), manner of housing (128), religion (54). 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Minka style private house from Shiramine mountain village. , hip-and-gable (irimoya-zukuri), grass thatched roof. 1.1, 2.1, 2.3 Collection of firing equipment, , oil and petroleum lamps used around Shinano. 907 plus 56 items including: 26 koematsu (fat pine) lamps, 248 oil lamps, 206 candle lamps, 12 臭生水 lamps, 193 petroleum lamps, 96 firing tools, 31 items related to production of spills (wood for lighting) and 105 other articles. 1.1, 2.2, 2.3 66 items of Someya ware including: 46 jars and earthenware pots, 12 bowls and 8 other articles used for storing water, salt or as mortar. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 2800 items including: 339 articles of clothing, 497 related to eating habits, 495 to manner of housing, 1025 to occupation, 78 to traffic and communication, 259 to transportation, 12 to social life, 74 to entertainment and 21 related to religion. 1.1. ,1.2, 2.2 Agricultural tools and implements for daily life such as wooden bowls or eathenware vessels excavated in 1950 from the Yamaki site. 1.1 178 items including 88 ordinary hyōsoku oil lamps, 30 hanging lamps, 50 other lamps and 10 accessory articles. 1.1, 2.1, 2.3 150 pieces of Tanba pottery including: 66 hu, 14 bowls, 52 sake bottles, 6 mizusashi water jars, 3 mizugame water jars, 3 flower vases, and 6 other items. 1.1 Gasshō-zukuri style vernecular house from the second half of the 18th century transferred to the museum due to the construction of a dam. with thatched roof. 1.1, 2.3 150 articles for use in snow: 19 for snow removal, 114 accessories, 12 for transport, 5 for hunting. 1.1, 2.1, 2.3 Nationwide collection of 2,266 items of traditional footwear such as hanao, zōri, geta or waraji. 1.1, 1.2, 2.3 Collection unearthed around 1960 from Tarutoko and Yawata villages which were submerged due to the construction of a dam at Lake Hijiri. Total of 479 items: related to necessities of life 247 (of this 28 items of furniture, 25 articles for making fire, 64 cooking implements, 62 articles for food and drink, 68 pieces of garments), related to production 185 (of these 49 farming tools, 12 woodcutting tools, 3 pieces of hunting equipment, 77 implements for spinning and weaving, and 35 for animal husbandry), others 47 (of these 14 related to sanitation, 9 to trade, 14 to transport). Also included is one house from the beginning of the Edo period in Tarutoko built in chūmon-zukuri style.
Manufacture, livelihood
Traffic, transportation, communication