NEW YORK: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. held an event in New York on Tuesday to gain publicity for Japanese traditional crafts.

About 20 items were on display, such as “Nanbu Tekki” ironware from Iwate Prefecture and a cushion made from “Nishijin-ori” textile from Kyoto Prefecture.

They included a Nanbu Tekki iron kettle in the shape of an apple. “This is a simple design that can be made even by young people,” craftsman Takahiro Tayama said.

Picking up the kettle, a woman in her 20s said that it was her first time to see an iron kettle at close range, and that this was a perfect design.

The Japanese bank held a similar event in Paris in September 2023 as part of a project launched in August that year to support the Japanese traditional crafts industry.

Yuji Akimoto, professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts who supervised the New York event, said that many people in the United States are sensitive to high quality items and appreciate well-made products.

Mitsubishi UFJ is also looking at measures to support Japanese craftsman to address a decline in their number.

JIJI Press