The bekko craft is indeed a product of heat, press, water and manufacturer's skill. They use many thin shell plates and attach them each other without any glue. They just use heat and press. It is believed that this technique was invented in China. However, since the technique was introduced to Japan, it has been further elaborated and became Japanese traditional skill. Artisans uses very traditional tools to make bekko crafts. These tools are believed to be the same as the ones used 300 or even 1,000 years ago (Ecchu, 1992).

These techniques were passed on from one generation to the next generation. The oldest bekko artisan family is the Ishikawa in Tokyo and the Ezaki in Nagasaki. The ancestor of the Ishikawa started bekko crafting in 1772 while that of the Ezaki, in 1709, required to register their business detail with the Government. The number of the registered businesses is in Tables 1 and 2.