Abstract
This study demonstrates the potential of an experiential learning approach combining craft production experiences, dialogue with craftsmen, and record-keeping activities for young people. An ageing workforce and declining demand contribute to the loss of cultural identity and intangible value that craftsmanship culture provides to contemporary Japanese society. However, opportunities to engage with crafts beyond mere consumption remain limited. Using Kyoto roof tiles (京瓦 / Kyō-gawara) making as a primary case study, this research examines how experiential knowledge can promote cultural transmission and education through workshops and record-keeping (聞き書き / kikigaki). Through hands-on making and record-keeping, participants gained technical skills and a broader social understanding of local communities, histories, and cultural contexts. It also established a participatory archive of shared narratives—“職人図書 / Shokunin Tosho”—demonstrating how such practices can form a sustainable model for cultural transmission. The findings reposition education within a cultural transmission framework and propose embodied learning methods.
Keywords
traditional crafts, experiential knowledge, cultural transmission, kikigaki
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1645
Citation
Kishita, K. (2026) Craft as Experiential Knowledge: Designing Workshops and Record-Keeping Practices for Cultural Transmission among Young Generations, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1645
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Craft as Experiential Knowledge: Designing Workshops and Record-Keeping Practices for Cultural Transmission among Young Generations
This study demonstrates the potential of an experiential learning approach combining craft production experiences, dialogue with craftsmen, and record-keeping activities for young people. An ageing workforce and declining demand contribute to the loss of cultural identity and intangible value that craftsmanship culture provides to contemporary Japanese society. However, opportunities to engage with crafts beyond mere consumption remain limited. Using Kyoto roof tiles (京瓦 / Kyō-gawara) making as a primary case study, this research examines how experiential knowledge can promote cultural transmission and education through workshops and record-keeping (聞き書き / kikigaki). Through hands-on making and record-keeping, participants gained technical skills and a broader social understanding of local communities, histories, and cultural contexts. It also established a participatory archive of shared narratives—“職人図書 / Shokunin Tosho”—demonstrating how such practices can form a sustainable model for cultural transmission. The findings reposition education within a cultural transmission framework and propose embodied learning methods.