Tokyo, Nov. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Friday it has chosen and recognized 141 craftspeople as contemporary artisans who have mastery skills and serve as leaders in their respective areas. They include Takashi Nakazawa, a 73-year-old foil-stamping specialist who helped reconstruct the keep of Azuchi Castle in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, and Hisako Ishizuka, a 48-year-old confectioner for Japanese sweets, who is the first woman to have won the top prize at a national confectionery exposition. The oldest on this year’s list are barber Hajime Yonekura and Hiroaki Nagasawa, a craftsman of Hakata Mizuhiki decorative cords, both 86. The youngest is 41-year-old Kohei Yamamoto, manager of a French restaurant at Palace Hotel Tokyo. This year, contemporary masters were selected for the first time from nine areas, including gardening and dried seafood manufacturing. Of the 141 people, 19 work in Tokyo, 16 in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, 11 in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, and 10 in Kyoto Prefecture, also western Japan. The contemporary master artisan program was created in 1967 to improve the status of craftspeople, enhance their skills and pass on their skills to future generations. A total of 7,517 artisans, including those selected this year, have been recognized. The award ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Monday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
