Shokunin: the artisans who safeguard Japan’s traditional arts

by Momoyo Nishimura, Alma Schanzer (Translator), Frederick Davies (Translator)

You could say that in Japanese traditional culture, the necessities of life - food, clothing, living - are all environmentally friendly. This is rooted in the philosophy of "wa (harmony)", or in today's wording - the philosophy of "symbiosis". About 70 years after the war, Japan has been westernizing all aspects of life. Along with this, the number of workplaces supporting traditional culture have also decreased, and some of them are in a precarious state. Because there is no work they cannot pass their talents on to their children, which makes them the last generation. And even if the next generation succeeds, they are groping in the dark since they cannot survive without initiating new developments. There is a sense of beauty which has been continuously handed down in Japanese traditional culture. Within it, craftsmen don't only consider the present times we live in, but they must also look ahead and consider restorations which lie far in the future. In this book I summarized the thoughts of the artisans who built the backbone of traditional Japanese culture. I hope that not only Japanese, but people from all over the world will also discover their brilliance, and support them. This book is written in English and Japanese. Even if you don't have an app, you can read Japanese in images, so please use it for learning Japanese. Please send us your thoughts on this book by email in Japanese or English. I would be happy if I could share it with all the craftsmen on HP.

Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2020