The Practical Barriers We Faced Immediately After Our Founding / 会社設立早々に立ちはだかった現実的な壁

Driven by a strong desire to address the challenges facing Japan’s traditional industries and its culture of craftsmanship, Prosperity Japan was launched with determination and hope. However, almost immediately after our establishment, we encountered unavoidable and very real obstacles.

The greatest challenge was how to deliver Japan’s traditional craftsmanship to overseas markets. Whether exhibiting at international trade fairs or promoting through digital marketing, every approach required far greater costs and specialized expertise than we had initially anticipated. In particular, our first attempt at cross-border e-commerce became a continuous process of trial and error. The difficulty of selecting the right partners, combined with misjudgments stemming from lack of experience, repeatedly prevented us from moving forward as smoothly as we had hoped.

Stopping, however, was never an option.

Across all fields within Japan’s traditional industries, the aging of artisans and the shortage of successors are urgent issues that can no longer be postponed.

For example, in Kyoto’s Nishijin textile industry, which boasts a history of over a thousand years, the number of craftsmen has declined from approximately 1,000 in its peak years to fewer than 100 today. In addition, there are now only two workshops left in Japan where artisans still handcraft silk-floss futons entirely by hand. One of them is a family-run workshop in Shiga Prefecture that has historically presented futons to the Tokugawa family. The situation there is particularly fragile. Because it operates as a small family business, the loss of even a single member would make it impossible to continue.

A profound sense of urgency, the awareness that these traditions will surely be lost if we do not act now, has continued to push Prosperity Japan forward.

Our goal is not only to preserve inherited techniques, but also to communicate the stories, philosophies, and cultural contexts behind these traditions. At the same time, we seek to build a system in which their value can be recognized sustainably on a global scale. Rather than simply lamenting what is disappearing, we are committed to passing these traditions on to the next generation together with a renewed sense of pride.

The challenge of Prosperity Japan continues.

「日本の伝統工芸産業が抱える問題を、なんとかしたい」
そんな強い想いを胸に立ち上げたProsperity Japanでしたが、設立直後から、避けて通れない現実的な壁に直面しました。

最大の課題は、日本の伝統工芸品をどのように海外へ届けるかという点でした。

海外展示会への出展、デジタルマーケティングによるプロモーション、どの手法を選んでも、想像以上のコストと専門知識が求められます。なかでも、初めて挑んだ越境ECは、試行錯誤の連続でした。業者選定の難しさ、経験不足による判断ミスなど、その一つひとつが、思うように前へ進めない要因となっていきました。

しかし、立ち止まることはできませんでした。

日本の伝統工芸産業は、分野を問わず、職人の高齢化と後継者不足という、後回しにできない課題を抱えています。

たとえば、千年の歴史を誇る京都・西陣織の業界では、かつて約1,000人いた職人が、現在では100人を切っています。また、真綿布団をすべて手作業で仕立てる職人は、日本にわずか2軒を残すのみです。そのうちの一軒である、徳川家へ布団を献上してきた滋賀県の一家も、家族経営であるがゆえに、誰か一人でも欠ければ、事業の継続が不可能になるという厳しい状況に置かれています。

いま動かなければ、確実に失われてしまう、という切迫感が、Prosperity Japanを前へ、前へと突き動かしてきました。

Prosperity Japanが目指しているのは、受け継がれてきた技術とともに、伝統工芸が持つ背景や思想を正しく伝え、その価値が世界で持続可能な形で評価される仕組みをつくることです。失われゆくものを嘆くだけではなく、次の世代へと「誇り」とともに手渡していくために、Prosperity Japanの挑戦は、これからも続いていきます。