｜Length : 27min. ｜Year : 1994 ｜

For many, "kabuki" is the soul of Japanese tradition. But there is a lot that goes on behind the colorful spectacle that most people do not know about. This rare glimpse of "kabuki" backstage follows Juen Ichikawa, a "kabuki" actor and "kuroko" or stagehand as he plans, organizes, and manages the theatrical details of a performance by "kabuki" superstar Ennosuke Ichikawa. A very modern Japanese man who even does the housework at home, Juen is a miracle-worker in black in the theater.

｜Length : 27min. ｜Year : 1994 ｜

Traditionally, money or gifts are presented wrapped in special hand-made paper bound with decorative strings tied in a stylized knot. These strings are made from coated paper called "mizuhiki", with different colors for different occasions. Nowadays, most "mizuhiki" are made by machines, but there are still a few craftsmen, like Ume Tsuda and her daughter Chie and son-in-law Gohachiro who work together to make creatively designed "mizuhiki" with traditional techniques.

｜Length : 27min. ｜Year : 1994 ｜

For centuries, straw or "wara" has been used to wrap priceless Arita pottery. Although straw is strong, pliable, readily available, cheap, and environmentally friendly, the technique is unfortunately a dying art. Among the few craftsmen who keep the old traditions alive, 70-year-old Masaru Hashimoto shows how straw can be used for just about anything from the most delicate porcelain to massive pots. This is a fascinating study of a fascinating tradition.

｜Length : 27min. ｜Year : 1994 ｜

Japanese "urushi" lacquerware is justifiably famous worldwide for its exquisite finish. This program shows every step in the lacquerware process from the painstaking collection of drops of sap from lacquer trees in the hills, to the laborious processing of the sap into lacquer and the creation of the lacquerware itself. With many turning to cheap, imported lacquers, 70-year-old Shoji iwadate and his son Takashi may be among the last craftsmen to practice this traditional art.

｜Length : 27min. ｜Year : 1993 ｜

Although the Japanese have practiced ukai, or cormorant fishing for over a thousand years, cormorants are now a protected species and for some time, until his son Takeshi received license, the only man in Japan with a license to catch these creatures for training was Hiroyuki Numata. As much about humanity as it is about nature, this documentary offers a rare look at how the traditional secrets of an ancient craft are passed on from one generation to another.