Supporters Fighting to Preserve Traditional Japanese Craftsmanship; JapanCraft21 Trying to Keep Next Generation Going

By Tomoo Furuta / Japan News Staff Writer

6:01 JST, March 29, 2025

Japan’s traditional crafts are facing dire challenges. In the next three years, the number of craftspeople is expected to decline to one-tenth of what it was half a century ago due to such changing circumstances as a lack of successors.

In the midst of this situation, a nonprofit organization in Kyoto Prefecture, made up of supporters from Japan, the United States, Europe and South America, have been working hard to preserve traditional techniques for future generations since 2018.

At the International House of Japan in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 19, a craftsperson talked about his ambitions, saying, “I would like to take many opportunities to introduce Nishijin textiles to people.”

Another artisan explained their work, saying, “I weave cloth with yarn made from peeled tree bark. All materials are locally sourced.”

They are among the six finalist groups, including nine people in total, of “craft leaders” in the 4th Japan Traditional Craft Revitalization Contest meant to honor craftspeople who create works in tune with contemporary life based on traditional techniques.

The aim of the contest is to find talented people motivated to develop traditional crafts. It has been organized by JapanCraft21, a nonprofit organization, in collaboration with Asia Society Japan, since 2021. The winner of its highest award, the “Ronnie prize,” receives ¥5 million to realize his or her advanced idea and receive assistance from experts in such fields as product development and marketing.

JapanCraft21 was founded by Steve Beimel, 77, from the United States, who lives in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Beimel visited Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, for the first time as an English teacher in March 1971. Since then, he has been fascinated by the craftsmanship that goes into tatami mats, shoji screens, fusuma sliding doors and lacquerware. Although he temporally returned to the U.S. in 1975, he was unable to shake his desire to come back to Japan.

In 1992, he founded a travel agency specializing in tours to Japan from overseas, with a focus on Japanese culture, such as traditional crafts, gardens and tea ceremony. From then on, he travelled back and forth between Japan and the U.S.

After retiring as head of the tour company in 2005, Beimel finally obtained permanent residency and moved to Kyoto. He continued to be involved as a tour guide for the company for a while.

“Japanese traditional techniques are at a high level. It’s a shame any time we lose craftsmanship,” he thought, when looking at manufacturers around the country. With this consideration in mind, he founded JapanCraft21 in 2018 because he was deeply concerned by the decline of traditional crafts in Japan due to a lack of successors. In October 2023, the group was incorporated as a specified nonprofit corporation. There are about 200 supporters now.

In addition to the contest, the civic organization also set up a school to teach young carpenters traditional woodworking skills while helping apprentices of traditional craftspeople with living expenses. The aim is to continue to focus on these support activities to make traditional crafts more sustainable in the 21st century and beyond.

According to a survey by the organization, the number of craftspeople is expected to drop from approximately 300,000 in 1979 to 20,000 by 2028. “The loss of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, even just one, is a tragedy for humanity as a whole. As artisans go out of business one by one, this is our last chance to restore the vitality of traditional crafts. We would like to link our helping activities to a wider movement,” Beimel said in fluent Japanese.