Regional expansion of the shikki production area in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Abstract

The present paper discusses regional expansion of the shikki (lacquer ware) production area in Wajima through analyzing regional migration patterns of artisans. While maintaining the traditional production processes, the shikki industry in Wajima has developed and reorganized its production system since the 1960s. The number of establishments related to the industry has been increasing, and their range of distribution has been expanding. Expansion of the production area was identified on the basis of changes in distribution of the establishments. Kashoku (decoration) artisans were characterized by their attributes, and changes in their apprenticeship were observed. The study area was classified by birth places and residential sites of artisans, and by the distribution changes of their establishments. Using data from a questionnaire administered by the author, lifepaths of artisans were illustrated and their migration patterns were extracted from the lifepaths. -from English summary