In addition to the general term "traditional crafts," there is also the term "traditional craft products."
These are crafts designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry based on the Law Concerning the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (Traditional Crafts Law) promulgated in 1974.
1. It must be primarily used for daily life.
Even events that occur only once a lifetime or several times a year, such as weddings, funerals, and festivals, are included in "daily life" if they are closely related to daily life and are used in ordinary households.
Crafts are also known as "beauty in utility," and by being seen and touched by many people over a long period of time, their ease of use and quality improve. Furthermore, the colors, patterns, and shapes are deeply connected to Japanese lifestyles and cultural backgrounds.
2. The majority of the manufacturing process is handcrafted.
It is not necessary for everything to be handmade, but the processes that preserve the product's characteristics and unique features, such as its quality, shape, and design, must be "handmade." Machines can be introduced for auxiliary processes that do not impair the unique features.
Because each product goes through a process where it is handled by human hands, it has ergonomic dimensions and shapes, and is also safe.
3. It must be manufactured using traditional techniques or methods.
"Traditional" means something that has continued for approximately 100 years or more. It is believed that the skills and techniques of a craft are only established after many makers have gone through trial and error and improvements over a period of 100 years or more. Skill and technique are inseparable, but skill is more closely related to the "skill" and "precision" of each individual maker, as in the saying "honing one's skills," while technique is related to the "historical accumulation of know-how from the selection of raw materials to the manufacturing method."
Traditional techniques and methods can be improved and developed as long as they are not left unchanged from the old ways and do not result in fundamental changes or alter the characteristics of the product.
4. The product is manufactured using traditionally used raw materials as the main raw materials.
As with 3., it signifies continuity for over 100 years, and uses materials that are both human- and environmentally friendly and have been carefully selected over a long period of time. However, some raw materials have already been depleted or are extremely difficult to obtain, and in such cases, it is considered traditional to switch to similar raw materials as long as the characteristics of the material are not altered.
5. A considerable number of people in a certain area are engaged in or are engaged in the manufacture of the product.
It is necessary that there are manufacturers of a certain size in a certain region, and that the local industry is established. A certain size is assumed to be 10 or more companies or 30 or more people. There is reliability backed by the confidence and responsibility of the entire production area, not just individual companies.
Yuzuki Noyori
