New Designation of Chibana-Hanaori Textile and Additions of Designated Skills for Edo-Kiriko Cut Glass under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

Concerning the new designation of Chibana-Hanori textile made in Okinawa Prefecture, on May 21, 2012, the Designation Subcommittee of the Traditional Craft Industry Committee, Industrial Structure Council, which is chaired by Mr. Ryohei Miyata, President of Tokyo University of the Arts, after careful consideration decided to newly designate it as a traditional craft. This designation was announced by a public notice and the textile is listed as an item designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The designated traditional crafts now number 212 items in total (refer to the Appendix in Japanese (PDF:163KB) ), of which 14 are from Okinawa Prefecture.

In addition, the Council also deliberated whether or not to designate additional skills and techniques for Edo-Kiriko cut glass, which has already been designated as a traditional craft. After consideration it was decided to designate them. This designation was also announced by a public notice.

1) Characteristics

Chibana-Hanaori is a type of textile that was tailored into costumes for festivals to pray for an abundant harvest and good health as well as other rites. It is said that the oldest Chibana-Hanaori in existence was woven in the latter half of the 19th century. The textile is characterized by having embossed warp yarn on the back after creating the patterns.

2) Background

In the early Showa era, a field study of Okinawa Prefecture textiles was conducted mainly along Route 58, but some areas located in the eastern side of the former Misato Village (currently Okinawa City), such as the Chibana area, were excluded from the study.

In the 1990s, some researchers, mainly Jun Kataoka, Professor of the University of the Ryukyus, and Shin Koki, assistant to Mr. Kataoka, compiled skills and techniques of Chibana-Hnaoari, and were assisted by a collection of old cloth belonging to an ordinary collector. Around 2000, Okinawa City started supporting Chibana-Hanaori, aiming at the industrialization of the textile, and established the Chibana-Hanaori Business Cooperative Association. In March 2010, Chibana-Hanaori was designated as a traditional craft by Okinawa Prefecture, and after conducting closer examinations of the textile's tradition and continuity, designation by METI as a traditional craft in Japan was applied for.

3) Expected effect

It is expected that positioning Chinbana-Hanaori as a designated traditional craft in Japan when selling the textile may increase its public recognition and revitalize the region through sales increase and other benefits.

1) Details of the additional designation

In 2002, Edo-Kiriko was designated as a traditional craft. Some skills and techniques were not well supported when Edo-Kiriko was designated in 2002, but recently, the requirements for designation have been fulfilled by providing new evidence, etc., and designation by METI as a traditional craft in Japan was applied for.

Specifically, METI has designated the following cutting skills in addition to Hishi cut (a cutting skill with a V-shaped tool): Kakuyama cut (a cutting skill with a concave tool), Kamaboko cut (a cutting skill with a U-shaped tool), and Hira cut (or flat-cut).

2) Expected effect

It is expected that this additional designation may widen the variety of designs of traditional crafts, that activities for creating such crafts may be further vitalized, and that flat-cut experts will be qualified as traditional craftspeople, which would contribute to fostering and securing human resources.

This act aims to provide rich and affluent living to the public and contribute to the succession of traditional skills and techniques to the next generation, as well as economic development and creation of employment in the region, through the promotion of traditional craft industries. Traditional crafts that are designated* under this Act are subject to various types of promotion policies under the Act.

* Five requirements are required for designation: the craft should be: [i] a daily commodity, [ii] hand-made, [iii] made using a traditional skill or technique continuing for the last 100 years or more, [iv] made of raw material which has been used traditionally, and [v] a craft created in a particular area.

July 25, 2012

Traditional Craft Industry Office, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau