KOUBA - Japan’s Factory Festival
On the banks of Japans longest River, the Shinano, are Tsubame and Sanjo's cities. Located in central Niigata, about a 2hrs Bullet Train ride from Tokyo lies this region specialising in tool and metal object production.
The greater Tsubame-Sanjo history stands inextricably linked with its geographical and geological placement. From the flooding of the Shinano River in the early Edo period, resulting in a need for secondary incomes for the farmers of Sanjo and subsequent move towards nailsmithing, to the proximity of Mt. Yahiko and its copper mines presenting artisans of Tsubame a logical move into copperware production when those skills came to the region from elsewhere in Japan.
From nailsmithing, blacksmithing formed a foundation in the area, leading to manufacturing farm implements and later kitchen knives, carpentry tools, and other types of bladesmithing. In the early C20th, the prolific manufacture of western-style tableware in the region marked Tsubame-Sanjo out as one of the countries foremost metalworking regions.
The Factory Festival is a celebration of skill and regionality. It provides a fascinating model for generating interest in skilled trades in decline following the industrial takeover and a labour shortage that we are also facing in the UK. Established in 2013, the festival has created great interest and increased understanding of the processes and skills involved in producing these items, which has led to new markets.
I first heard about the Factory Festival by visiting the Biology of Metal exhibition at Japan House in London. One of the areas that interested me regarding its relevance in the UK is the ideas around regional specialism that the Factory Festival draws from. This is intrinsic to the nature of Japan and so is seemingly a natural feature. But from an outside point of view, there is a lot to learn here.
Regional Specificity
Japans regions each have unique natural characteristics, being a long island chain of approx. 146sq Miles north to south temperature ranges from subarctic in the north to subtropical in the south, which brings a variety in agriculture, flora and fauna. The extension of this is that jobs, housing and industry are all influenced by these unique factors; availability of materials, local skills borne from related industries or building styles to anticipate dramatic weather patterns.
In my experience, the unique qualities of each location in Japan are celebrated; they act as a draw for tourism from overseas and nationally. Train stations are filled with delicious regional delicacies for travellers to take to their onward destination; maintenance hole covers bear the marks of a regional point of interest.
From an outsider's point of view, in a nation with a strong appreciation of seasonality, thinking about location seems natural. KOUBA – The Factory Festival in Tsubame-Sanjo is a fantastic example of what happens when a place collectively markets and organises around its unique characteristics.
The Factory Festival gives national and international visitors a rare opportunity to visit factories and artisans, see inside their workshops, and witness things being made or even try themselves. Such experiences drive some sales and, more importantly, raise awareness of the skill and dedication necessary to make these goods. Over the long weekend, I travelled around over 20 workshops where I witnessed all kinds of tools being made, from knives, chisels and hammerheads to saws, hoes, and axes. All staff were wearing colour codes t-shirts and had the branded pink tape giving their map reference number.
