• The methods of creating several Japanese crafts have remained unchanged for centuries.Japan doll image by Dmitry Sosenushkin from Fotolia.com
  
  With a rich history and deep appreciation for aesthetics, the Japanese have developed several crafts that draw on unique aspects of their culture that have remained unchanged for centuries. Balance and beauty take center stage with the these projects, and even novice craft makers can enjoy creating some of these distinctly Japanese art forms.
  
  

Origami

• Folded cranes are widely recognized as symbols of peace among the Japanese.origami image by Ingrid Walter from Fotolia.com
  
  The Japanese craft of folding paper into recognizable shapes, plants and animals without glue or scissors is called origami. According to the Origami Resource Center website, this popular art form was developed after Buddhist monks introduced paper to Japan during the 6th century. The Center goes on to report that it wasn't until 1950 that a standard set of origami symbols and directions were recorded by Akira Yoshizana and Sam Randlett. Some of the most popular origami figures are cranes, swans, frogs and flowers, and materials and directions are easy to find for anyone interested in practicing this ancient paper art form.
  
  

Doll Making

• Detailed Karakuri ningyo play the parts in Bunraku, the traditional Japanese puppet theater.Cambodian Puppet image by Jason from Fotolia.com
  
  Traditional Japanese dolls are known as "ningyo," which translates to "human shape," and is one of Japan's oldest crafts. Judy Shoaf, the Director of the University of Florida Language Learning Center, states that the Japanese art of making dolls has grown and evolved over hundreds of years, and that many of the traditional dolls now serve a wide variety of purposes as gifts, in festivals and in worship.
  
  Shoaf also states that papier-maché Daruma dolls are crafted as representations of the 28th Zen patriarch, who brought tea and enlightenment to China and Japan. Daruma dolls are easily recognized by their spherical red body, white face and missing pupils, and are given as gifts of good fortune.
  
  Wooden Kokeshi dolls, which have been crafted in the same manner since 1800, feature a large, spherical head atop a cylindrical body with no arms or legs.
  
  Another doll, the Hina, have been used as sacrificial items, such as in the purification ceremony of Hinamatsuri, the doll festival on March 3rd. Classic Hina dolls feature elaborate pyramid-shaped bodies made from several layers of textiles stuffed with wood blocks or straw, with the head, hands and feet intricately carved from wood.
  
  

Ikebana

• Ikebana is the Japanese craft of arranging flowers.beautiful flower arrangement image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  The JapanZone website states that Ikebana, which literally means "flowers kept alive," is the traditional Japanese art form of arranging flowers aesthetically, and is much more complex than simply placing cut flowers in a vase. When practicing this highly valued craft, artists create flower arrangements to represent the elements of earth, sky and mankind in a beautiful, but balanced, display. According to JapanZone, the oldest school, Ikenobo, was developed in the 15th century by the Buddhist priest Ikenobo Senkei, followed by Sogetsu, which uses a series of patterns, and Ohara, the first modern school of Ikebana.