Balancing art and reality
Yet not every repetitive, intricate task can be automated. And, as Takeshi Tashiro of PIIE says, “traditional craftsmanship has still huge economic value”, pointing to Japan’s recent record-breaking tourism, in which sipping handmade green tea or trying on kimono are huge draws. Whether it’s consumables or cars, Japan continues to have a reputation for keen attention to detail that attracts global interest. It could be that for the shokunin ethos to continue to thrive, the products themselves may have to change. The trick might be to marry shokunin craft with products – like specialty coffee and good shoe-shining – that are more in demand.
Nagasawa points to collaborations between global luxury brands and old Japanese businesses that give traditional goods a modern twist as one solution. For example, in 2017, Hermes partnered with Karacho, a Kyoto-based hand-printing studio founded in 1624, to make bound, handheld notebooks with vibrant patterns. Back in 2007, Louis Vuitton teamed with artisans in Ishikawa prefecture to make limited-edition lacquer accessory cases, while Gucci and Tiffany have also collaborated with Japanese artisans.
Tashiro also believes that shokunin-style attention to detail can be leveraged to boost Japan’s soft power. “Many anime and video games are inspired by such craftsmanship, and vice versa,” he says. Last November, Mataro, a century-old company in Tokyo that makes traditional Japanese dolls, released a gorgeously intricate stuffed Pikachu to celebrate the launch of the latest Pokémon game. Efforts like these could help safeguard shokunin in the future.
For Hasegawa, survival may mean balancing art with financial realities, so he can sustain his community of shoe-shining shokunin. “If I’m just a shokunin, I can’t expand the business. I didn’t see many shoe shiners – I saw elderly people doing it, and they quit,” he says. But now a big part of what he does is teach his apprentices his talent so they can carry the torch.
“They’re young and hip and cool. I want to bring shoe-shining to the fashion world,” he says. “I wanted to bring shoe-shining to another stage.”
Additional reporting by Yoko Ishitani.
