Originally Posted by
Stanley Covington
Indeed, blind dovetails are an absolute indication of a craftsman's commitment to quality, even without recognition. But don't forget that Mr. Suda is a designated "Living National Treasure," that receives a stipend from the government making it possible for him to make what he wants, the way he wants, without waiting for orders, and without fear of not being able to sell it. And because of the fame of his position, he can charge much more than market rate for his products and people will buy them simply because he made them. I don't mean to minimize his skills to any degree, just to point out that he is in a unique situation few craftsmen enjoy.
Tangly,
The video was made for the town of Kanraku in Gunma Prefecture. This is serious countryside. It was also made with NHK's (Nihon Hoso Kyoku = Japan National Broadcasting) cooperation, which means NHK at least filmed and edited it. Probably more. This explains the extremely high quality of the video, but why would NHK do this for a little backwater town? Japan's population is at a tipping point, with people living longer, and women bearing fewer children. Young people are leaving the countryside to attend school, work, and live in the more vibrant urban centers, leaving many country towns occupied only by old folks. Some towns have been abandoned entirely. There have been may taxpayer-funded efforts intended to keep young people, and attract new residents to such towns. One strategy is to make the idea of living in countryside more attractive. Another is to stimulate tourism to such areas. I understand that these sort of videos have proven effective for this purpose.
I suspect that NHK's production of this video is also consistent with the Government's interest in promoting/justifying the Living National Treasure system.