Japanese Earth Friendly studio by a Certified Kimono Consultant, Kimono Model/Photographer, Edo Tsumami Kanzashi Artisan, and Shinto Priestess.
IMITATION ISSUES and LAW OF HANDICRAFT
Edo Tsumami Kanzashi is the National Designated Traditional Handcraft :
Edo Tsumami Kanzashi has been carried by refined skillful artisans with profound understandings of our culture, tradition, history, artisanship, the beauty of Japanese seasons and nature, materials, supplies, language, and most importantly, the responsibility of carrying this art for the future generations by truthfully succeeding the will from our ancestors.
“The Law regarding the promotion of the traditional handicraft industry was established in 1974 to defend, raise, and evolve the old techniques of traditional handicrafts. It is adopted throughout Japan, in many prefectures.
A Cabinet minister of the Ministry of economy/trade and industry designates traditional handicraft based on this law.
~ Article 2 ~
1. Traditional handicraft must be mainly used for daily life.
2. Principal creating process of Traditional handicraft must be crafted by hand.
3. Traditional handicraft must be created by mainly traditional refined technical skill.
4. Traditional handicraft must be crafted with traditional materials.
5. Artisans of the Traditional handicraft must have been crafting in a set area.
It is critically important to preserve this art properly, as our ancestors have been doing so.
As my master said, traditional Japanese culture must be correctly and respectfully preserved by Japanese who fully grew up in the Japanese environment and climate, achieving the expertise and authentic Japanese spirit, and going through the strict professional training.
It is wonderful that people all around the world love the beauty of our culture. I profoundly welcome them enjoying the hobby Tsumami Kanzashi for themselves. However, those Imitation Tsumami Kanzashi sold by self taught amateur hobbyists stating that they use traditional techniques while none of them were ever professionally trained by authentic artisans, is cultural appropriation.
According to my network with Tsumami Kanzashi artisans in Japan, there are no foreigners / Americans / even Japanese outside of Japan who were professionally trained and permitted to sell, besides myself by Hazumi Kazuyo sensei.
When somebody who lacks the professional attitude name their piece "Tsumami Kanzashi" or "Kanzashi", and sell by their sole decision (while they are not permitted to do so by any masters), it destroys our historical culture and the entire market since the majority of people today do not have the eyes for authentic quality and tend to go to the cheaper items.
Please also be aware of Tsumami Kanzashi made in China which appear traditional but different from the authentic quality ones by the combination of the flowers and the colors.
Those hobbyists might have read my master's book, however as an apprentice I have a responsibility to state that she did not write the book for those who were never professionally trained to affect the genuine quality of our traditional art work, nor destroy our market by selling on their own decision. It is a hobby book for you to enjoy as a hobby, but never as a business. She actually was very outraged by the fact that Chinese mass produced imitation Tsumami Kanzashi for cheap labor, which greatly affected authentic artisans in Tokyo.
It is quite significant and the baseline manner to humbly respect our tradition and the professional rules when entering traditional Japanese culture.
How traditional Edo Tsumami Kanzashi and other Japanese cultural handicraft artisanship works:
1. It is not a school. Handicraft is taught by Master-apprentice relationship. You should not casually just ask a master or his / her apprentice to train you. Especially, not introducing yourself at the moment of approaching is considered extremely rude, disrespectful and arrogant in our polite society.
2. You must be offered and accepted by a master artisan to be professionally trained. Masters choose apprentices, as they see who are spiritually ready.
3. If you are not professionally trained by a nationally designated Edo Tsumami Kanzashi master artisan, you are not allowed to sell. You must obtain the permission of professional artisans who trained you, in order to create and sell national designated traditional handicraft.
4. Apprentices are humble to preserve Japanese culture the right way. This is the primary attitude among Japanese culture. Artisans do not make something messy for a cheap price to bring our quality down.
5. Absolutely NO copyright violation of artisan's work, including my or my master's book of any images and written sources
6. Those who browse around my shop or purchase my Tsumami Kanzashi for the purpose to plagiarize to sell, should stop from doing so immediately. It is a cultural appropriation and those cases will be handled accordingly. My customers clearly see that some of them are very obviously plagiarizing.
7. Only professional artisans are officially qualified to teach classes besides those approved by the master. Those who were never trained have no rights to violate our sacred field.
How to appreciate, but not to appropriate Edo Tsumami Kanzashi? :
[ Hobbyists ]
* Enjoy crafting, but do not sell. You are not qualified to represent artisanship and traditional Japanese culture.
* Take classes with authentic Japanese artisans. Online classes are available at Atelier Kanawa.
* Educate yourself about cultural appropriation, the history of Edo Tsumami Kanzashi, and its tradition.
* Ask yourself if you are appropriating Edo Tsumami Kanzashi. If you are humble enough to see yourself, stop any of the appropriating behaviors.
[ Customers ]
* Please find authentic Japanese artisans and purchase from them.
* Please do not contribute to destroying our culture and artisans' industry by purchasing from non-classically trained hobbyists who are culturally appropriating.
* If you are not sure about the seller, ask them if they were ever classically trained by which designated artisan. Ask the master's name and the proof, then confirm with their masters.
* If you find any hobbyists appropriating Japanese culture, you may write to them to stop doing so.
* Please know about cultural appropriation, the history of Edo Tsumami Kanzashi, and its artisanship.