Japan's troubled craft industry pins hopes on 'Japonisme' reboot

OKAYAMA — As production of Japan's traditional craftworks goes into decline due to diminishing spending power in their home market, moves are under way to lure foreign buyers by sparking a renewed interest in Japanese art and design such as the one that swept 19th-century Western Europe.

The efforts to create a new wave of "Japonisme" -- a French term that was used to describe the popularity of Japanese art among European elites in the wake of the forced reopening of Japan in the 1850s -- reflect a strong sense of alarm about the future of some of Japan's oldest, most beloved but dying craft traditions.

This spring, Bizen ware pottery from Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, was displayed at international design exhibitions in Italy and France, with support from the Mission of Japan to the European Union.

"I was very nervous when I showed my works but I gained confidence when they were praised for being so good," said Bizen ware potter Taiga Mori, 50, after returning to Japan from Milan in northern Italy, where he displayed his pieces at Fuorisalone, a design exhibition, and a local art gallery in April.

A photograph of Mori's exhibits caught the eye of a Belgian art gallery dealer who placed an order for some of his work. "I plan to gain more experience by continuing transactions with overseas galleries," Mori said.

The city of Bizen is one of Japan's six traditional centers of pottery. The five others are Echizen, Seto, Tokoname, Shigaraki and Tamba. With a unique manufacturing process that does not use glaze, Bizen ware has a "wabi-sabi" allure born of its simple, rustic appearance.

Japonisme, a term coined by French art critic and collector Phillipe Burty in 1872, referred to a fervor for Japanese art and culture that began and spread in Western Europe, drawing in many famous painters such as Vincent van Gogh, who collected ukiyoe prints, and Claude Monet, who painted women in kimonos. Japonisme also had a great impact on literature, music and fashion.

The Japanese mission to the EU has been searching for ways to entice wealthy individuals in the United States and Europe, who often hold a portion of their assets in artworks, to spend their money on traditional Japanese artworks.

"These days the number of traditional Japanese craftworks seen at art fairs that attract wealthy people is extremely limited," Etsuro Ninomiya, a counselor at the Japanese mission to the EU, said. The challenge, he said, is how to attract such people's money.

The exhibition at Fuorisalone became a foothold for Bizen's efforts to gain overseas attention. Its wares, meanwhile, were joined on display by traditional Japanese steam-bent woodcraft pieces known as "magewappa" from Odate, Akita Prefecture, in northeastern Japan.

The foundation for overseas marketing of Japanese crafts was laid two years earlier when an organization aimed at revitalizing Bizen, Odate and other places along what was the Kitamaebune northern shipping route in Japan from the Edo period (1603-1867) to Meiji era (1868-1912) asked Ninomiya for the mission's cooperation when it held an event in Paris.

The mission has acted as a bridge between the organization and Japanese ceramic artists who have lived in Italy for many years. As a result, the Bizen ware exhibit at Fuorisalone came about after a screening of only a year instead of the three to four years it normally takes. The pieces have also been exhibited at the National Picasso Museem in Vallauris, southern France.

Behind the push abroad is the desire of artisans and others involved to buck the trend of shrinking production of traditional artworks in Japan.

According to the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries, production of Japanese traditional crafts plunged in value to 92.7 billion yen ($645 million) in fiscal 2017 from 328.8 billion in fiscal 1997.

The pottery promotion department of the Bizen municipal government said it is "indispensable to reinforce the brand power (of Bizen ware) overseas when it comes to the survival of the craft."

But the central government's support system for traditional craftworks is said to be less generous than for agricultural products due in part to the stove-piped nature of multiple organizations in charge.

In a Diet session in March, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida referred to a plan to establish a cross-governmental council to study the issue. "We must strengthen efforts to promote the artistic value of traditional crafts through the concerted efforts of relevant ministries and agencies," he said.

The Bizen city office intends to continue displaying Bizen ware at prominent exhibitions, including overseas.

"First of all, the willingness of the mayor and pottery producers is needed. There is a lot of potential for growth, although the challenges will be tough," Ninomiya said.

In a related development, the city also plans to support "Wajima-nuri" lacquerware from Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Noto Peninsula hard-hit by the devastating earthquake this year.

© KYODO