Ep. 10 — Furudōgu: old tools, not quite antiques

It's All Japanese to Me · Oct 26, 2026 · 3m · transcript

Today’s word is “furudōgu,” tools that have been used until they are old. I look at how it sits next to “kottō,” usually translated as antiques, and at Yanagi Sōetsu’s essay on the morning markets of Kyoto, where the dealers and Yanagi looked for different things. I also look at how Japanese law today treats all of these as “kobutsu,” secondhand goods.

Sources:

* Kotobank, “Furudōgu” (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Japanese)

* Kotobank, “Kottō” (Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Japanese)

* Yanagi Sōetsu, “Kyōto no asaichi” (Aozora Bunko, Japanese)

* Mie Prefectural Art Museum, “Mingei” (Japanese)

*…