An Edo pouch craftsman today. Photo: Minamoto Tadayuki

Edo pouches may have been primarily for keeping tobacco, but with the popularization of cigarettes after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, demand for tobacco pouches gradually fell into decline and became hobby items. Despite the decrease in the number of artisans making these pouches, Fujii Naoyuki follows the footsteps of his grandfather and his father who were both makers of Edo pouches to continue with the craft. He also creates tobacco pouches using traditional tools.