紀要論文

漆器産業の再生に向けて : 原点回帰に活路を

Revitalization of the Lacquerware Industry : Returning to Basics as a Way Out

jpn

18838596

https://doi.org/10.15002/00022456

法政大学国際日本学研究所

10

141

162

2013-03-29

Version of Record

The lacquerware industry remains sluggish due to a general decline in demand associated with the depletion of raw materials, a decrease in the number of successors to craftspeople, the inflow of foreign products, and lifestyle changes. For these reasons, it's becoming very difficult for lacquerware-producing areas to manufacture products that satisfy the inspection criteria for being designated as a traditional craft (hereinafter called "traditional lacquerware") as defined in the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (hereinafter called the "Act"). In this thesis, I will analyze current trends in the public sector, the market sector, and the non-profit sector and clarify the situation of the traditional lacquerware industry in this period of recession. Based on the “Act”, the public sector should be providing support to the traditional lacquerware industry. However, it’s not easy to distinguish support for “traditional lacquerware” from support for other items, including similar lacquerware items and plastic goods, because they are all intermingled in the market sector. And in recent years, there has been a drastic decrease in the issue of labels that denote official certification of “traditional lacquerware” as being a traditional craft item designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. This means there is a low rate of label attachment and a decrease in the number of items of “traditional lacquerware” that meet the requirements for the label to be affixed in the first place. Public sector support should not just be focused on sales but should be carried out based on the spirit of the “Act”, and the target must basically be items of “traditional lacquerware” that qualify to bear the label. There is apprehension in the market sector that the idea behind the “Act” is not actually being observed in practice. On the other hand, manufacturers who produce lacquerware items other than “traditional lacquerware” find the situation satisfactory because the public sector is also supporting their nontraditional items. Moral hazard is spreading increasingly. From the standpoint of the non-profit sector, it’s only natural to think that many of the products on sale at shops which bear the traditional symbol marks on their signboards are in fact traditional handicrafts. As mentioned earlier, however, the actual situation is that the number of labels denoting official certification of the “traditional lacquerware” has drastically decreased. In other words, there are many cases in which purchasers who want to acquire “traditional lacquerware” are unable to do so due to its reduced availability and ambiguous quality labeling. Under these circumstances, rather than just advertising the symbol marks of traditional craft products, it’s important for the public sector to promote the products that bear a label denoting that they have been officially certified as traditional craft items. Supporting items other than “traditional lacquerware” involves an element of danger that could result in the steady decline of “traditional lacquerware”. The important thing is to encourage the manufacture of sophisticated traditional lacquerware items instead of pseudo-traditional lacquerware. However, current promotion measures have reduced the incentive for craftspeople to continue producing “traditional lacquerware”. The public sector should review the original point of the “Act” and return to promotion measures centered around traditional handicrafts. That may look like a detour, but it is in fact the shortest way.

Article

AA11914954