I am fully on board with the Japanese Craftmanship in their Traditional Tool Making. I would love to spend time with a Skill that is replicating woodworking traditions that extend back a Thousand Years that have evolved into various established Traditions, that have been strictly followed for many hundreds of years, with the Tools required and Skills needed to produce this work being passed on through generations of families.
The Smithing Traditions and Skills required to produce the Steel and Tools is sharing a history that shares very similar culture as the Products produced with the Tools.
The Layered Steel required to produce the Tools, comes from Ancient Tradition, the Traditions of the Swordsmith will always come to the forefront in most discussions. These are one area of Smithing, there are disciplines for working with Steel that are highly sought, such as producing Tamahagane Steel, families are Three to Four Generations Old carrying out this discipline and there are Apprentices from these families' forges having produced these Steels as an apprentice and Smith for more than 60 years, a life's work to preserve a tradition.
I get it and I get the ritualistic disciplines to remain faithful to the preservation of the disciplines.
Where I am not getting it, is how Japanese National who has a recognised Skill for producing a product that belongs to a very modern world, who is marrying a selection of Modern Materials to assemble a very modern world product, is selected as an individual to be offering the Heritage of the Smith and Carpenter.
Ikea is a Designer of Carpentry and very modern. Ortofon is a Designer of Cartridges and share a very modern history almost the same as Ikea, but a little longer as an established Brand Name.
My Take on it, is that all Cartridges that are of Interest to the user of a Vinyl LP as a Source Material, are a Modernistic Design and dependant on modern technologies to perform to the standards that are expected. It might be an attractive idea, to bring a Tradition to the Design when considering an Aesthetic or USP, but this tradition when added certainly is not a requirement for a Cartridge to Function.
If I were to follow the Instructions in a Cabinet Makers Text Book and apply a Heritage Coating such as a Shellac Finish on to an Item of Ikea Designed and Produced furniture. I fail to see how this can not acceptably present itself as a comparison to any modern product, that coated with a Heritage Coating.
Urushi on a Cart' Body, Shellac on Ikea.
Realisation both are precision produced with a design that is attractive to many, but neither are Born from Generations of Handed Down Heritage.
If a modern product is supplied in Presentation / Storage / Transportation Box, that has very attractive features and is possibly even hand produced by a Craftsman with Heritage Skills, this does not transfer to the Modern Product contained within, the Product in the Box, only has a Heritage back to the time it appeared as marketable product.
A Cart' is a Sacrificial Part to be used, it comes with various design options and a wide range in pricing to acquire such a part. If one chooses to extend their purchasing to the upper end of the pricing scale, that is fine, as said I have interest in a Cart' from this Pricing end and want to encounter one for the experience.
I certainly won't be creating fantastical reasons as to the reason it should be acquired. It is either an attractive item in use and as a result of the impression made, become a worthwhile consideration as a Purchase, or it is not.
