Things in Gifu

The textile industry has been thriving in Gifu City and surrounding areas since before the war. After the war, the apparel industry developed because it formed a production area with consistent technologies such as raw yarn, twisted yarn, textiles, knitting, dyeing, apparel planning, design, sewing, etc. In recent years, not only production but also active initiatives such as exhibitions have been implemented.

It is said that the production of electrical parts by a chemical company in Gifu City in 1932 is the beginning of plastic processing in Gifu Prefecture.
Today, it manufactures a wide range of products, including industrial parts, automotive parts, and construction materials. In addition, using the production technology of such products, applications are expanding to the field of daily necessities such as interior goods and kitchen utensils.

The western Tono area (Tajimi City, Toki City, mizunami City) is blessed with high-quality clay suitable for pottery. The history of pottery in the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture began with the 7th century Sueki, which was baked by building kilns, and developed with tea ceremony during the Momoyama period, when it created the world-class "Momoyama Koto", and is now popular as "Mino ware".

Gifu Prefecture has long been the top market share in japan for shipments of Ceramic Japanese and Western tableware and tiles.
Mino Washi paper, which is said to have a history of more than 1,300 years, has developed in Mino City as a production area because it is blessed with many high-quality kozo paper raw materials and clear streams such as the Nagaragawa River and the Itataki River.

Mino Washi paper with a delicate and fine texture is very popular overseas. In addition, while valueing tradition, such as product development by foreign designers, we are constantly proposing new uses of Washi for everyday life.
In November 2014, Hon mino paper was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as "Washi Japanese Handmade Washi Technology".

Seki City, where high-quality charcoal, water, and grilled blade soil can be secured, produced famous swordsmiths such as Sun Roku kanemoto and Izumi Mori Kanesate in the Muromachi period, and prospered as a major production area for swords. Seki's sword, which combines excellent practicality with elaborate art, was loved by many warlords.
Due to the abolition of swords after the Meiji Restoration, the majority of products were switched to household knives, and the technology is still utilized in the production of high-quality products such as kitchen knives, razors, scissors, pocket knives, etc., and is exported not only to Japan but also to countries around the world.

Gifu Prefecture is blessed with abundant forest resources, with more than 80% of the prefecture's soil, and a wide range of products have been born, including furniture, folk crafts, and household goods using "Tono Hinoaki" and "Hida's oak wood".
In ancient times, advanced woodworking techniques such as "Hida no Takumi", who was also involved in the construction of Heijo-kyo and Heiankyo, have been passed down to this day and are utilized in the manufacture of Hida furniture such as chairs and tables.

Gifu Prefecture is located almost in the center of Japan, and because it is divided into the Mino region, which has a relatively large number of flat areas, as called "Tomiyama Nosui", and the Hida region, which has mountains of 3,000 m class, the climate, the ingredients obtained, and the food culture based on it vary greatly from region to region. A variety of processed foods have been born due to the characteristic ingredients and food culture of each region. In addition, sake brewing that benefits from the rich clear stream flowing throughout the prefecture is also active, and there are more than 50 sake breweries in the prefecture.