Rediscovering the Lost Crafts of Japan

As the Edo period gave way to the Meiji era, Japan entered an age of rapid cultural change and technological advancement, which brought with it significant changes to the arts and crafts traditions of Japan. Apart from the well-renowned names like Tokoname, Seto, and Arita ceramic ware, Wajima lacquerware, and Nishijin textiles, most household goods and everyday tools had always been produced locally: they used resources available within the area and were sold locally to serve the needs of the community. But with the development of the railroad and information networks, skilled artisans and materials were able to travel from one area to another. As a result, these local, high-quality products spread to Tokyo and beyond to the furthest reaches of Japan. Some products also became symbols of Japanese produce and found their way across the seas to Europe and America.

These products earned a unique place in the world’s economy. Consequently, some craft traditions became global hits and enjoyed an explosion in sales, while others suffered the fluctuations of the modern international economy, now needing to compete with new materials that could be easily mass-produced. As a result, many traditional crafts, tools and materials began to disappear, replaced by cheap, low-quality items.

When Japan opened itself up to the world in the Meiji period, many more traditional crafts started travelling overseas, one of which was Minakuchi-zaiku basket-weaving. An original craft of present-day Minakuchi-cho, Koga city, Shiga prefecture (then Minakuchi domain), these baskets are woven from vines of plants called tsuzurafuji (shiomenium acutum). Lightweight and delicately woven, the baskets became so popular that they were featured in the Vienna World Exposition and orders flooded in from the rich and famous overseas. But, despite this popularity, the low wages paid to the craftsmen (which never did justice to the time and effort involved in the creation process), meant that production of Minakuchi-zaiku came to an end in 1970.

However, by 2000, locals were eager to revive the art form. A group of passionate individuals began researching the last remaining samples and written texts, as well as interviewing the families and descendants of past craftsmen. Thanks to their efforts over the course of almost a decade, the craft of Minakuchi-zaiku was successfully brought back to life.

The Traditional Tools Behind the Traditional Crafts

There are lots of different practical and cultural reasons that Japanese artisans have found it difficult to preserve their trades, including a lack of young craftspeople to inherit their methods and processes, the challenge of getting ancient products to cater to modern tastes, and the difficulty in finding quality materials and tools.

Finely-made tools – such as hand-crafted brushes, charcoal, bamboo-ware, knives and cutting tools – are created from natural resources with time and care. The tools are, indeed, a form of traditional craft themselves. Nevertheless, as a ‘secret ingredient’ in the process, this element of Japanese craft tradition is often overlooked.

Still, even in this overlooked field, there are crafts that have been lost and found, with amazing stories of the individuals and communities who’ve strived to keep their traditions alive.

One example is tamahagane (meaning “precious steel”). It was traditionally used to make Japanese swords, famed for the sharpness and strength of their blades. Tamahagane are made using the “tatara process”: a furnace is built from clay and heated for three days and three nights while iron sand and charcoal are continuously thrown in. Although the process disappeared after World War Two, a new facility for the tatara process called ‘Nittoho Tatara’ was built in Okuizumo-cho, Shimane prefecture, thus establishing a center for tamahagane once again.

The revival story of each art, craft, material or tool, began with the passion of dedicated individuals and communities. In order to pass on this craft's heritage, it’s important to preserve the quality materials and tools that are so essential to its survival, as well as support the next generation of craftspeople; but this is nothing without the customers, patrons and fans that actually recognize the true value of these objects and buy and use each product with love. Objects made with love, and used with love: this is the tradition that really needs to be preserved.

Explore more on the arts and craft traditions of Japan.