CRASSO crafting the future of Shikoku’s traditional industries

CRASSO is a collaborative open factory event in eastern Kagawa, Shikoku Prefecture, where local manufacturers and artisans unite to showcase their crafts and engage with the community. Local manufacturers and artisans open their production sites to the public, allowing people to experience and understand the craftsmanship behind various regional products. The initiative aims to promote regional industries, foster community engagement, and attract tourism. Activities feature workshops, factory visits, and exhibitions of local goods made from materials like stone, paper, glass, leather, and wood, highlighting traditional and modern craftsmanship in Shikoku.

The Open Factory model originated from Fukui Prefecture, where artisans welcomed the public into their workshops to foster a sustainable community. The focus was on local traditional industries, including Echizen lacquerware, washi (Japanese paper), tansu (wooden chests), and eyeglasses. Started in Wadacho town of 4,700, the event now draws over 30,000 visitors, showing immense success and interest. Various regions in Japan have adopted the Open Factory model to increase interest in traditional crafts, including Koriyama, Kyoto, Shizuoka, and Shikoku island. Shikoku started in spring 2023, and they plan to hold CRASSO twice yearly.

Now in its fourth installment, “CRASSO 2024 Vol. 4” was held between November 28 and December 1, and we got a chance to visit several impressive sites, including the Steel Factory, Aoishima, Fukushin, Tokutake, Takamatsu Hot Stamp, and Good Work. It gave us insight into the traditional assets the region has to offer, what its people continue to protect, and the connections that bind the traditional industry together.

From metal to cardboards: visit to six Kagawa artisans and craftsman

Over two days, we planned six visits out of over thirty selections, to get a peek into what Kagawa Prefecture has to offer.

Steel Factory Makizuka Iron Works

Makizuka Iron Works designs and manufactures original products from iron including furniture and fixtures. But more than metalworkers, they are more apt as Iron Artists and Iron Craftsmen. These experts are professionals who know the ins and outs of their field, from handling the metal, to the melting process, to the manipulation of equipment.

During the factory tour, we could tell the amount of care for the material, even thinking about reusing and finding new ways to use disused iron and steel. Among their aspirations is to build a Steel Park, not just to offer a place to promote iron for a more prominent presence, but also a place where serendipity (maybe even marriage??) can happen.

If you visit, be sure to take a gander at the Gallery Altana, which gives you an overview of the potential of how an unassuming metal can turn into.

AOISHIMA Inc.

AOISHIMA Inc. is dedicated to promoting the allure of Aji stone, considered to be the “diamond of granite,” native to the Aji and Mure regions of Takamatsu. Through the craftsmanship of Aji Stone, stone artisan Chikara Ninomiya is maximising the versatility of stone, making the region attractive for different artists and artisans, bringing a variety of skills, and eventually offering diverse experiences to all who interact with the region.

But it is also a reality that the stonemason industry faces the problem of continuance, with less and less young people taking up the mantle. And it’s not just the artisans, with a shrinking industry for mining and cutting. To tackle the issue, Ninomiya wants to create a brand that portrays stone in high value. This would be an effective way to bridge community and stonemasons, perhaps even find new blood for industry.

Fukushin Co., Ltd.

We featured Fukushin’s “ecovu,” brand in our list of sustainable fashion brands before, so we were excited to have the opportunity to visit their factory. And we were not disappointed. Fukushin Co., Ltd. specializes in the design, planning, and manufacturing of fashion gloves, but also delves into other lines like socks.

It is impressive how they think about sustainability, from ethical manufacturing processes, to worker happiness, to environmental impact, to using renewable energy. By the way, the comma in “ecovu,” represents the dimple when we smile, symbolizing Fukushin’s motivation of why they do what they do.

Tokutake

Tokutake specializes in the production of care and rehabilitation footwear, designed to assist the elderly and individuals with mobility challenges, aiming to prevent falls and provide comfort.

The first thing upon visiting them is a challenge for us to think about body diversity, especially when it comes to shoes. Having a ‘mirrored pair’ where the left and right shoes are symmetrical is not the norm for their clients. Tokutake custom-makes footwear tailored to individual needs, often offering fitting shoes within a week. Don’t be fooled by their machines and simple processes, as top-notch skills of their craftspeople are still needed in the process to create the perfect, beloved shoes their clients trust them for.

Takamatsu Hot Stamp

Takamatsu Hot Stamp is the go-to brand in the region for signage making services. Hot Stamp can handle any project scale with precision and work with different materials, from precise-cut ornaments to supermarket billboards, from metalworking to their original silk hot stamp printing.

The guided tour revealed to us their expertise, as their project variations require the staffs’ vast knowledge and technical skills to handle. The president, Toshiyuki Sugiyama, is also forward thinking in bringing the company into the future, creating a work environment that can respond to diversifying sensibilities, especially for the region.

Good Work Inc.

Good Work Inc. is an expert in the manufacturing and sale of cardboard products. Looking at the complex designs, we realised how the skills required for cardboard production are similar to origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.

For Good Work, the most important step is not the actual making of the cardboard, but the design stage, where they sit down with their clients’ to understand their needs and find solutions to them. Beyond the introduction of tools and software, we became aware of the staff’s creativity and daring to explore new uses for cardboard, including children toys and pet products.

Connecting people with traditional industry revitalises local communities

It can be hard to imagine how hard creating products is, unless we actually participate in actually trying these specialists’ crafts first hand at one of their workshops. Artisans’ skills take decades to hone. This trip really reminded us of how true the phrase “they make it look easy” is.

However, the tour is more than just experiencing and learning about the traditional industry. CRASSO, and indeed any region using the open factory model, sees the multi-fold benefits that comes with connecting people with local artisans and craftspeople.

First, a greater appreciation of the production process allows one to be a responsible consumer. Very often, manufacturing processes of products are shielded from consumers. Instead of asking “really?” when companies make claims about their manufacturing process, visitors get the opportunity to witness the process in person, and trust is earned. Locals will gain a deeper appreciation for their regional products, leading to increased perceived value. This, in turn, encourages local production and local consumption.

Furthermore, consumers are made aware of everyday items we often take for granted, such as socks, store signs, and even cardboard packaging. We no longer give a passing glance at the sock in the store, or the store signs that we only peek for directions. Having seen the gears behind the machine, consumers appreciate that making things take effort and expertise, thus increasing our appreciation of things and less likely to frivolously replace. (Consumerist societies tend to buy cheap, then replace cheap when spoilt, thus promoting a wasteful culture.)

Another benefit we get from the open factory model is tourism, both domestic and international. Rather than viewing these factories and workshops as simply manufacturing sites, CRASSO is demonstrating how these locations can double as local assets. No longer are they just single-function locales, but serves to educate, not just the public about their craft, but also generate interest in declining traditional industries.

CRASSO’s most important function is connecting people. On the surface, each site may look like a solo player, but that is not true. The stonemason is dependent on the miner and the cutter. Businesses are dependent on the cardboard and signboard craftsman. Everyone is connected with one another to bring a single product to life, through discussions, arguments and camaraderie. CRASSO is both a window for us to peer through and appreciate these connections, and also a door for people to collaborate across industries.

In addition, CRASSO helps generate interest in the industry. Mass production and mass consumption are forcing many traditional (and often sustainable) production methods into decline. But through open factory models like CRASSO, there have been interested parties in entering the traditional industry. These tours become a first step for people to explore the traditions, and maybe attract new blood for a new life force in these precious cultures.

These are why CRASSO and its model is essential: it is connecting people from all walks of life, in and out of the industry, to encourage understanding, appreciation, and even love for local products, made by passionate people.

Photos are all taken by Roger Ong.