Historically, traditional craft sectors have been supported through a model where traditions are handed down through a strict apprentice system or through familial inheritance. Some businesses keep their unique techniques to themselves.

In anticipation of changing times, Traditional Arts Super College Of Kyoto (TASK) was launched in the city of Nantan in 1995. Its aim is to “nurture successors of traditional crafts, and create new trends through a collaborative industrial-government-academia effort.”

About 380 students study at the school, which is in its 25th year. Particular to the school is its all-encompassing curriculum and practical sessions.

The school offers 11 majors, including Japanese Lacquer Craft, Bamboo Craft and Stone Carving, all of which are unique to the school. In each major, students can choose either a path for “professionals” to master the craft, or one for “creators” seeking to utilize relevant skills and knowledge for their future careers.

Around 80 percent of the classes comprise practical sessions and exercises taught by certified traditional craftspeople or masters. Students learn not only relevant techniques and artistic sensibilities, but also about the essential points of manufacturing.

Sakura Adachi, 21, a third-year student majoring in Japanese Paper Craft, puts in literal sweat when producing traditional washi paper.

“I’m very excited to think that many people will see the results of our work,” Adachi commented.

Instructor Yumiko Moniwa teaches Adachi. “Though paper production is taught based on local Kyoto Kurotani washi techniques, we make sure that students have the skills to work at various production centers after graduation,” Moniwa said when describing some of the characteristics of the school’s paper craft major.

Second-year student Takahiro Ito, 20, who majors in Kyoto Tegaki Yuzen (handwritten Kyo-Yuzen painting and dyeing techniques), recalled his motivation for taking the major.

“I was brought up in an environment where I was familiar with tea and kimono because my family in the city of Uji is involved in matcha production,” Ito said. “We can learn this dyeing method at other schools, but I wanted to learn it directly from a teacher who is a certified traditional craftsperson.”

Ito wants to follow a career in yūzen.

Tsukasa Mochizuki, 21, majoring in Wood Craft, had plans to study health care but changed her mind when she was a third-year student in high school.

“When I learned about the role of color and its basis in painting wood my mind exploded — ‘This is it!’” the third-year student said.

Fourth-year student Yuki Iimura, 21, who is majoring in Buddha Engraving, was working diligently on her graduation piece when interviewed by the METI Journal. The Tokyo native had no previous connection to Buddhist statues, but a chance encounter seeing how the statues were made deeply impressed her, prompting her to follow this path.

Chisato Suto, 20, majoring in Metal Craft, first learned of this particular craft when she was at a high school affiliated with an art university.

“I felt attracted to craftworks that people can actually use on a daily basis as opposed to strictly artistic objects. So, I got into this world,” the third-year student said.

Suto aims to create products integrating both traditional and contemporary elements.

Panasonic Corp. has embarked on creating “future electrical home appliances” based on a new development concept that is a clear departure from conventional development.

The company previously had design centers in Osaka and Shiga prefectures, but consolidated them in Kyoto in April 2018. Through open innovation with the traditional craft sector in Kyoto, Panasonic is pursuing their vision of the next 100 years of home appliances.

Panasonic codeveloped the wireless speaker Kyo-zutsu in collaboration with Takahiro Yagi of the long-established Kyoto-based tea caddy maker Kaikado Inc.

It is the first in a series of products embodying Panasonic’s new concept, and a limited run of 100 units went on sale on Nov. 8 at Kaikado.

A striking feature of this speaker is its beautiful cylindrical shape that is crafted from brass.

However, the physical shape is not its only point of interest. The speaker’s body can vibrate along with the sound it emits, adding to the sensory experience if someone were to touch it. The device’s exquisite interface also allows the sound to be turned on or off by slowly moving its lid up or down.

A creative group named GO ON, which is made up of young craftspeople in Kyoto, supports these manufacturing efforts. Members of this group include the aforementioned Yagi of Kaikado, Masataka Hosoo of Nishijin-ori textile company Hosoo Co., Hosai Matsubayashi of pottery maker Asahiyaki and Shuji Nakagawa of kyo-sashimono (woodwork and joinery) maker Nakagawa Mokkougei. They are all successors of well-established workshops.

Panasonic has fostered close contacts with traditional craft industries, as seen in the example of founder Konosuke Matsushita. He has always supported the activities of artisans, maintaining that “Traditional crafts are the origin of Japanese manufacturing.”

But what the company hopes to do now is to capitalize on this connection to create a driving force of new value creation, in addition to protecting and carrying on tradition. The effort is unique in that the company positions it as a business strategy that directly improves corporate competitiveness.

Discussions lead to concept

“How will people seek enrichment in the future?” is a topic that designers from Panasonic, whose area of focus is the mass market, and leaders of traditional crafts, who rigorously pursue their own aesthetics in manufacturing, spent a lot of time discussing. There were many twists and turns before they were able to start discussing future manufacturing from the same perspective.

Hitoshi Nakagawa, a designer at Panasonic Corp.’s Appliances Company Design Center, recalled his experience working with the artisans.

“We spent a lot of time together and had numerous conversations. But discussing plans on paper only revealed our value differences. They showed almost no interest in the documents we created with computers,” Nakagawa said.

“On the other hand, their response completely changed when we showed them something three-dimensional, even if it was a rough prototype. At that point, I realized that things wouldn’t proceed until we physically created something together. Driven by that, things began to change,” he added.