Nagasaki Bekko (tortoise shell crafts) are mostly produced in the cities of Nagasaki and Isahaya in Nagasaki Prefecture using the shells of hawksbill turtles, which live in oceans near the equator. Although foreign trade was restricted during the Edo period (1603-1868) when a national isolation policy was in effect, tortoiseshell crafts developed in Nagasaki because the material was accessible locally. In addition to small items such as hair ornaments and necklaces, there are also large Nagasaki Bekko products such as ship models.

Today, Nagasaki tortoiseshell is highly rare, because international trade of hawksbill turtles is prohibited by the Washington Convention.