New Designation of Tokyo Tebori Insho as a Traditional Craft under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

1. New designation of a traditional craft

On September 8, 2025, the Traditional Craft Designation Subcommittee of the Commerce, Distribution and Information Committee under the Industrial Structure Council held discussions related to a unique craft and decided to newly designate it as a traditional craft. The craft is Tokyo Tebori Insho from Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures. On October 27, 2025, this designation was announced by a public notice, and the craft has been listed accordingly as an item designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The number of designated traditional crafts now comes to 244.

By becoming a designated item, this craft can use the designation of "traditional craft.” In addition, producers’ associations and other related organizations can receive subsidies based on the Subsidies to Support Traditional Craft Industries for such efforts as fostering successors and cultivating demand by formulating promotion plans and having them authorized. It is expected that the utilization of subsidies made available through the support measures will promote the development of production areas as well as the traditional craft industries as a whole.

Reference: Details of the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

The Act aims to provide enriched and prosperous lives to the public and to contribute to the succession of traditional technologies and techniques to the next generation, as well as to the economic development and creation of employment in various regions across Japan, through the promotion of traditional craft industries. The Act stipulates the criteria that a craft must satisfy to be designated as a traditional craft.

Note: Criteria that a craft must satisfy to be designated as a traditional craft (Article 2 of the Act)

The craft in question must be:

1. used mainly for everyday life;
2. hand-crafted for the majority of the manufacturing process;
3. manufactured using traditional technologies or techniques;
4. made mainly of raw materials that have been used traditionally to manufacture the craft; and
5. manufactured by numerous individuals in a particular area or manufactured with a process in which numerous individuals in the area are engaged.

2. Outline of the newly designated craft

Tokyo Tebori Insho (Tokyo Seal Engravers Co-Operative Association)

The seals are entirely handcrafted, from character design, face adjustment, lettering, rough engraving to finishing, and the technologies and techniques have been passed down since the Edo period.
In 1624, craftsmen relocated from Nanjo Street in Kyoto to Edo, where they produced seals for the shogun, the government, and feudal lords. These craftsmen were known as Goinbanshi (official seal engravers). As time went on, seals came to be used in contracts at shops and even by commoners, and the registration of seals began to be used as an official form of corporate or individual identification.
The traditional techniques of creating Tebori Insho have been passed down from generation to generation. Today, there are 103 Tebori Insho artisans and 95 different seal manufacturers and sellers that remain in operation.

Related Materials (in Japanese)

• References 1 and 2: The latest newly designated crafts and excerpts of the related provisions of the Act(PDF:100KB)
• Reference 3: List of designated crafts(PDF:296KB)

Division in Charge

Traditional Craft Industry Office, Culture ＆ Creative Industries Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group