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Paper short abstract

This paper explores the ways in which changes in social relations within the local craft industry are as significant as economic and demographic shifts in contemporary craft production. It focuses on the evolving division of labour at the Echizen lacquerware production site in Fukui Prefecture.

Paper long abstract

A recurring theme in studies of Japanese society is demographic shrinkage. This topic has been explored in a wide range of fields, including the study of the craft industry. Although the prevailing strategies for revitalising the local craft industry in Japan emphasise market expansion and increasing the number of practitioners, this paper argues that reshaping and reinventing existing social relations to adapt to a changing environment is equally important as analysing economic and demographic data. Identifying the conditions that enable craftspeople to sustain their craft as a livelihood, and ultimately the local industry as a whole, requires an understanding of the shifting social relations. Focusing on changes to the division of labour at the Echizen lacquerware production site in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, this paper explores how a local craft industry can be maintained amid shrinking yet evolving local social dynamics.