スクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは異なる場合があります。

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Inheriting and Passing Down Our Traditions and Technology

National Institute of Technology, Kagawa College, Takamatsu Campus

A: Hello, everyone. First, please take a look at this picture. You can see the liquid inside by the change of the colors in the lower part of the cups. What do you think the cups are made of?

B: Looks like they are made of plastic, aren't they?

C: Or, maybe they are made of glass.

A: I suppose many of you might have thought something similar.

As a matter of fact, these cups are porcelain.

This particular type of porcelain is called Aritayaki. It is one of Japan's traditional handicrafts.

B: Of course, ordinary Aritayaki porcelain is not translucent like these cups, which is very reasonable because they are made of clay.

C: Then, how come we can see through the liquid in these cups?

A: The reason is that these cups are extremely thin to the extent that we can see through them. They are as thin as 1 mm.

C: But in that case, the cups must be too fragile for practical use.

A: No wonder you would think so, but these cups are quite durable in spite of their appearance.

B: The elaborate baking technique made it possible to create such stylish and yet tough porcelain.

A: Such sophisticated craftsmanship has been developed through constant efforts of Japanese craftsmen. Their specialized skills have been passed on to the next generations from old times.

C: In addition to the Aritayaki porcelain, there are so many traditional handicrafts in Japan that have been passed down for countless generations. Let us introduce some of them.

A: Did you know that washi, traditional Japanese handmade paper, was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage items last year? Washi is well-known for its cloth-like appearance and durability. Some washi is as much as 1300 years old.

B: Here's another example. The stitchwork on these Kimonos beautifully depicts seasonal events and cultures in Japan.

C: And how about this kettle? It looks like an ordinary kettle, but it is made entirely from one piece of copperplate. Don't you think it's amazing?

A: Each one of these handicrafts is elaborately made by hand, one by one, and they are just a few of many examples.

B: These traditional handicrafts seem to be so precious that many of us may feel that we need to preserve and pass them on to future generations.

C: But does it sound absolutely right to you to strictly protect our traditions?

I mean, being resistant to change could hinder the development and improvement for the future.

A: Today, we would like to think about what we, as future engineers, can do to contribute to the preservation and development of Japanese traditions from the viewpoint of Kosen students.

B: It seems to us that traditions are made of human knowledge that has been accumulated since ancient times.

C: But "inheriting traditions" does not necessarily have to mean receiving them exactly as they are. To keep great aspects of traditions while adding new perspectives to them is also a way of "inheriting traditions."

A: For example, do you know Bonsai? A Bonsai is a live miniature tree that looks exactly like an ordinary tree except for its size.

B: The Bonsai tradition dates back over a thousand years, but it also has been experiencing changes to keep up with the times.

C: Please take a look at this photograph. This is also a Bonsai piece with a very elaborate tree house. It looks very modern.

A: This example shows that traditions have the potential to evolve over time so we could further advance our culture.

B: Now, let's talk about how we can contribute to the evolution of traditions as future engineers.

C: We could develop technologies for automated manufacturing systems so we could industrialize traditional handicrafts.

A: This idea may sound perfect when you first hear it, but it has some setbacks. That is, automated systems could only produce duplicate products, which may reduce the value of individual products.

B: Also, automated systems do not seem to have developed to the same degree as experienced craftsmen's skills.

C: Fine handmade products are appreciated because each item is one of a kind.

A: And it may take some time before the technology for automated manufacturing systems catches up with the elaborate sophistication of skilled craftsmen.

B: In the past, the inheritance of Japan's traditional handicrafts unavoidably involved personal contact.

C: So, traditional handicrafts with no human successors are doomed and have no choice but dying out?

A: We may have one solution for that issue in our program.

There is an ongoing research project trying to record and analyze the techniques that skilled manufacturers employ for their work.

B: This project is called i-Farm, led by our professor, Koichi Murakami.

C: The main objective of the project is to create a comprehensive manual for farmers. The goal is to overcome the problem of the shortage of successors and the aging of skilled farmers.

A: In the process of creating the manual, a high-tech eye-tracking camera called iCamera was developed.

B: The iCamera records the subject's field of vision and at the same time, the sensors of both eyes track what exactly the subject is looking at.

C: This method made it possible for us to turn the farmer's subjective skills into objective data by identifying what he pays attention to.

A: We asked students at an agricultural high school to do farmwork with reference to the images from the iCamera. Please take a look at these graphs showing their feedback.

The deepest blue indicates the highest positive feedback, and the lighter the color, the less positive the feedback becomes.

B: As you can see, their feedback shows high scores in all aspects.

C: With the iCamera, we could hand down information that cannot be written down in books to the next generation.

A: Furthermore, from the data, we could identify components that need to be improved.

B: The shortage of successors is a common problem not only for agriculture but also for any traditional handicrafts in Japan.

A: And some traditional arts and crafts created by skilled humans are very hard to replicate even by state-of-the-art machinery.

C: But even without personal contact, their arts can be passed down by using technology, such as the iCamera.

B: We should use our technology to help pass down our traditions. As future engineers, we Kosen students should keep this in mind as one of our missions.

C: We don't think that paying attention only to novel things is good enough. We should know more about great traditions in our country so we can evolve them.

A: We want to become engineers who can help inherit and pass down our traditions and technology to the next generations.