If there's one thing that makes Japanese homes immediately identifiable, it's their roofs—or, to be more specific, the tiles that make up those roofs. These intricate tiles, which have been part of the Japanese landscape for well over a millennium, are the handiwork of roof tilers, who share the same passion for their craft as generations of tilers before them.

When the West first established trade relations with Japan, one of its major exports, alongside goods, was religion. Brought in by foreign missionaries, Christianity began to catch on—especially around Nagasaki, the port that became Japan's key link with the Western world. Fearing Christianity's expanding influence, Japan's rulers banned the religion and persecuted its followers—but rather than abandon their faith, many of Japan's Christians went underground, practicing in secret for around 250 years.