Take Action
How to Participate
JapanCraft21 (JC21) was founded in 2018 to assist vulnerable Japanese crafts to flourish in the 21st century. Please join us for a unique opportunity to deepen your knowledge about Japanese culture, to be an active part of the Japanese craft community and to make a significant difference in craft revitalization at this critical time.
Our current three projects:
School of Traditional Building Arts (Shin-Machiya Juku) – We co-founded the School of Traditional Building Arts (Shin-Machiya Juku) in Kyoto to teach rapidly disappearing building skills. Our intensive yearlong courses are held on Sundays to accommodate young working building trades people. Currently we are teaching joinery to carpenters and bamboo mud wall construction to plasterers. An advanced course in Japanese garden building and maintenance as well as a training course in the application of natural lacquer are scheduled for 2022. JapanCraft21 provides full scholarships to all students.
The Japan Traditional Crafts Revitalization Contest – We created this series of nation-wide competitions to identify exceptional plans to save individual crafts for the 21st century. The winner of each contest will receive Y5,000,000 and the support of a group of mentors in such fields as business organization, design, Information technology, marketing and public relations.
Education - One of our goals is to help educate the general public on the breadth and depth of Japanese master crafts
An Opportunity to Learn
“Through JapanCraft21, I have experienced both the breadth and depth of Japan’s legendary craft world and my life has been greatly enriched as a result.” S.H., Japan resident
Our regular Zoom presentations for our members explore such subjects as Japanese bamboo baskets, ceramics, gardens and architecture. Our day tours include visits to craft studios for demonstrations, museum tours by curators, architectural tours, and visits to the homes of private collectors.
An opportunity to make an effective cultural contribution
“After years of looking for a way to connect to Japan in a more meaningful way, by joining JapanCraft21, I became an active member of the Japanese Craft Community.” — K.V., Longtime international resident of Tokyo
Be a part of our community of international and Japanese supporters and Japanese crafts people, working together to revitalize Japan’s exquisite craft tradition while deepening your knowledge about this culture. We are a small, lean volunteer organization identifying projects most likely to succeed with our help.
One option is to sponsor a scholarship for a student at the Shin Machiya Juku Building School. In addition to these membership-qualifying contributions, you may also choose to support specific initiatives, such as providing living assistance for apprentices (most apprenticeship programs in Japan do not cover living expenses) or underwriting craft-promotion events. Even if you make a General contribution, your support will be used where it is most needed across these and other JapanCraft21 programs.
Donate
Become a Member by making an annual donation of $100 or more.
Member Levels:
Friends of JapanCraft21:
Any amount between $100 and $999
Masters Circle: $1,000 to $4,999
Founders Circle: $5,000 to $49,999
Contest Sponsor: $50,000 or more (sponsors one contest first prize)
To designate your membership donation for a specific program:
If you do not indicate a specific program, your donation will be treated as a General contribution.
Apprentice sponsorship program: $100 to $10,000
$100 - two-day sponsorship
$250 - one week sponsorship
$1,000 - one month sponsorship
$12,000 - one year sponsorship
Building School Scholarship Sponsor (see below):
$2,000 for one-year scholarship for carpentry, plastering or gardening.
CAF America is a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donating to JapanCraft21 via CAF America will enable you to take a charitable tax deduction for US tax purposes. CAF accepts donations via check, wire transfer, credit card, and transfer of stocks/securities.
Volunteer
The success of JapanCraft21 is largely dependent on volunteer assistance. Volunteer activities may involve an occasional few minutes up to a few hours each month. More ambitious volunteer positions offer exciting opportunities for direct involvement with crafts people.
Some of the volunteer opportunities we offer include:
- On-line research of Japanese crafts
- Work behind the scenes at our events
- Edit English or Japanese text.
- Simply share our posts on social media.
- Assist in the recruitment of new JC21 members.
- Encourage crafts people to apply to our contests.
- Underwrite a contest to revitalize a Japanese Master Craft for the 21st century.
