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Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts
2004/09/10
FOREWORD
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The Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten) celebrates its 50th anniversary in the autumn of 2003. The Japan Crafts Association (Nihon Kogeikai) has taken this opportunity to produce an English version of its Nihon Dento Kogei Kansho no Tebiki (Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts, first edition published in 1999) in the hope that it will encourage the appreciation of traditional Japanese crafts among an international audience.
The production of hand-crafted items historically fostered in different parts of Japan developed under the programme of modernization instituted during the Meiji period (1868-1912) into what may be called a traditional crafts industry. At the same time, inspired by developments taking place in Europe, Japan saw the rise of artist-craftsmen and the pursuit of individualistic expression through the making of crafts. The term traditional crafts as it is used in Japan today covers all of these activities. In the 1940s, when Japan was suffering from severe shortages and the desolation of its people following the ravages of the Second World War, the traditional crafts industry was on the verge of extinction. Reestablishing the foundations of Japanese society and encouraging industry were of the utmost urgency, and in 1950 the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was enacted in order to help rebuild and reaffirm Japan's unique way of life and system of spiritual values. Every year since 1954, the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition has carefully selected works in accordance with the commitment to "protect and foster crafts which have high historical or artistic value" encoded in the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. Traditional crafts industries in the regions began a belated recovery in the latter half of the 1950s. Since then, however, mass production, mass consumption, globalization and recession have all taken their toll. While the Traditional Crafts Exhibition has prevailed for 50 years despite these circumstances, the situation today, which is marked by a relentless decline of support for traditional crafts resulting from rapid changes in people's values, is once again critical. Traditional crafts have historically been deeply rooted in the everyday lives of the Japanese people. The changing of the seasons, which are clearly differentiated in Japan, have always been reflected in the choice of designs and materials, as has been sensitivity to the feelings of others, another virtue of Japanese culture. To understand traditional crafts, manifestations that they are of many of Japan's most essential qualities, is to better understand Japanese people and their culture as a whole. The Nihon Dento Kogei Kansho no Tebiki (Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts) was written with the aim of promoting a better understanding of Japanese crafts by explaining special and unfamiliar terms in plain language. Typical works are introduced with explanations of the techniques used and the themes they explore. It is our sincerest hope that this English version will offer a wide range of people the opportunity to appreciate and understand the aesthetics of Japan and thereby help guarantee the long-term future of Japan's traditional crafts. |
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NIHON KOGEIKAI
All rights reserved
2004