In the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, the shogunate and some domains put handicrafts and art works in international European exhibitions, and they were highly praised as excellent decorations, so that Japanese crafts attracted the attention of European people, and their export enabled Japanese to gain foreign currency.
幕末、ヨーロッパの万国博覧会に出展した幕府や各藩の工芸品や美術品はすぐれた装飾品として絶賛され、日本の工芸へのヨーロッパからの関心が高まり、外貨を稼ぐ輸出品となる可能性が開かれた。