5.　Pass on and further develop traditional craftsmanship

The traditional work you can see on the walls that encircle Shuri Castle, wooden architectural techniques, lacquerwork, ceramic work, textile dye, and artifacts have all been passed down from the Ryukyu Kingdom era, and are now recognized as features of Okinawa.
Therefore, cooperating with related organizations in Okinawa, the prefectural government is going to carry out the following projects to utilize traditional techniques, and preserve the above together with the skills that went into creating them.

(1) Utilizing and preserving traditional architectural techniques

The traditional techniques seen in Shuri Castle Seiden such as unique red-roof tiles, traditional lacquer painting, and traditional architectural techniques, and the skills to carry them out, have all accumulated and been passed down to those craftsmen who managed and repaired the castle since the last restoration project inside the prefecture.
Even after the restoration project is completed, the prefectural government plans to gather and pass down traditional building techniques, and secure building human resources and train them so that they can be employed for maintenance of Shuri Castle Seiden and other facilities and also for construction of other buildings in Okinawa.

(2) Preserving the traditional skills of works of art and craft

Eight kinds of craftsmanship (painting, wooden sculpture, stone sculpture, textile dye, lacquerwork, pottery, metalwork, and making sanshin) which have existed since the Kingdom era will be investigated, restored, and recorded. The prefectural government will announce the results of the research and share the records of the restoration project in order to preserve these “masterful works” for the next generation, educate the next craftsmen, and secure materials and tools.
In addition, the prefectural government plans to pursue training of human resources for those who deal in repair work of artifacts. Especially involving the prefectural University of Arts as a center of Okinawa traditional craft repair work, the local government will investigate ways to promote education on traditional techniques used in Shuri Castle and it will seek help from other universities in the prefecture.
Training in each traditional skill is done with the help of related organizations such as preservation societies.

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  Preservation techniques (textile dye)
  (photo provided by Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum)

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  Newly made lacquerware (restored item)
  (photo provided by Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum)