Japan is facing a serious shortage of successors for small and medium-sized enterprises and for individual entrepreneurs. The ageing population and rural depopulation are the main reasons for this.
In this context, the Matsunaga Pottery, a family business, is in the middle of a succession. I'm getting to know the legal status and tax regulations as best I can. Compared to other workshops, the Matsunaga kiln has managed to hold its own. Indeed, too many competent potters cannot find successors and the know-how is being lost. Due to a lack of skilled labour, successful pieces are often relegated to oblivion, which disappoints buyers who can no longer obtain them. Too many workshops in all sectors of the craft industry have to close down.
That's why I want to contribute to a revival of workshops, so that they in turn become fully-fledged businesses with a more commercial dimension. Because of their traditional character, they do not always position themselves on the M&A market. I therefore hope to be able to support them to ensure the transmission of traditional techniques and local crafts.
I have always been in the business of creating objects, and I am now driven by a desire to be an entrepreneur.