Abstract
This paper aims to analyse the topic of Japanese Folk Toys (JFT) from a multidisciplinary perspective bringing the subject to the 21st century. While considering its previous historiography (S. Shimizu, F. Starr, and J. Kiburz) it will also analyse new aspects and the communities that are involved. While we can observe a crisis in the traditional hereditary craftsmanship model, due to the lack of new/younger artisans eager to continue traditional craft production (considered by some as the expiration date of these pieces) we cannot neglect the appearance of a new type of creators and crafters (notably female) producing these toy pieces; breaking, in an indirect manner, the mould of historically produced, gendered and patriarchal craftsmanship structures, historically reproduced. In parallel, in this new era of JFT there is a renewal regarding the profile of new collectors, as local and global consumers. These groups of enthusiasts of Kyodo Gangu represent today a more diversified community, making the consumption and appreciation more democratic and socially expanded in contrast with the previous more elitist approach to art and crafts collecting of these pieces, with an evident bias towards Orientalist sensitivity. To conclude, this work attempts to question the still persistent narratives of “modernity vs. tradition” that have consistently marked the cultural environment of these pieces (starting in the Meiji era and still present nowadays). The work also includes some illustrations by the author in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the subject, as well as some interviews of creators and collectors.
Author Information
Silvina Silva Aras, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
Paper Information
Conference: KAMC2024
Stream: Cultural Studies
This paper is part of the KAMC2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Aras S. (2024) Japanese Folk Toys (Kyodo Gangu): New Perspectives on Craftsmanship Models, Collectors and Cultural Nostalgia for the 21st Century ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 433-441) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2024.38
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2024.38
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