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Paper short abstract

The paper explores how newcomer artisans in rural Japan navigate local craft traditions, community expectations, and support systems, showing how they contribute to revitalization through creative work, social ties, and cultural exchange.

Paper long abstract

Many rural areas in Japan have long crafts traditions, which local governments have sought to harness in their revitalization strategies for decades. However, as rural communities in Japan face socioeconomic and demographic challenges, resulting in a shortage of successors in traditional industries and the gradual erosion of skills, local governments have increasingly turned to inviting artisans to settle in their towns. They offer them workshop spaces, financial support, and opportunities to engage with rural life, but questions remain about the long-term sustainability of these initiatives. This paper examines the experiences of newcomer artisans who have relocated to rural Japan through municipal programs and independently. Focusing on communities in Kyushu, it investigates how artisans negotiate their position within existing craft traditions, respond to local expectations, and develop (or struggle to develop) a sense of belonging. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, the study analyzes how artisans perceive their own contributions to rural revitalization and how they evaluate the infrastructural, economic, and social support they receive. By comparing different community contexts, the presentation highlights the diverse ways artisans engage with rural life: some revitalize dormant craft sectors, others introduce new creative practices, and many contribute to community-making through workshops, markets, and everyday interactions. At the same time, tensions can arise around cultural authority, authenticity, and the balance between innovation and tradition. The analysis contributes to broader debates on the role of crafts—both traditional and contemporary—in sustaining rural futures. It argues that newcomer artisans can support revitalization not only through economic activities but also by fostering social networks, cultural exchange, and new forms of rural identity. However, their long-term impact depends on stable support structures, inclusive community dynamics, and realistic expectations about what crafts can achieve in the face of structural rural decline.