Today we saw a mesmerising video displaying the 400-year-old art of crafting Japanese Kokeshi Dolls and it got us thinking about tradition.
There is something amazing about traditional hand-made products: They have stood the test of time and tend to hold more value to people than mass produced things because they have history and because they have been made with care and attention to detail.
But what about products made today? Will there be anything still made in 400 years time that holds the same value?
With technology advancing so quickly and mass production being so prominent in our world, modern day crafted products may well not survive long enough to be called ‘traditional’.
A sad thought…
Japan in particular is a country rich in traditional values, which is probably one of the main reasons why Kokeshi Dolls are still being made.
It could also be that people are drawn to their unique nature. After all, even to a skilled craftsmen like the man in the video below, no two dolls will ever be the same: There will always be a slightly different brush stroke, a slightly different size carving or a slightly different wood colour.
But then, surely it’s possible to program a machine to make slight changes to a product (Coca Cola’s latest campaign in Israel is a good example) so that each one will be unique?
Or does it need to be accidental rather than on purpose to be truly considered unique?
It is likely we will never get an answer to our question about tradition in the future – unless we find a way to live for 400 years of course – but food for thought nonetheless.
At least you can enjoy the beauty of this video like we did!