In 2012, successors of traditional crafts came together to launch the "GO ON" project. This project team, comprised of successors who shoulder the future of six traditional crafts, met to discuss the skills and passions of their predecessors. The members include Masataka Hosoo of Nishijin-ori "Hosoo," a textile company that has been in business since the Genroku period; Takahiro Yagi, the sixth generation owner of "Kaikado," a long-established maker of handmade tea canisters founded in 1875; Tatsuyuki Kosuge of "Kochosai Kosuga," a bamboo craft established in 1898; Toru Tsuji of "Kanaami Tsuji," a Kyoto-style wire mesh craft that dates back to the Heian period; Shuji Nakagawa of "Nakagawa Woodcraft Hira Kobo," a woodworking workshop; and Yusuke Matsubayashi, the 16th generation owner of "Asahiyaki," a 400-year-old craftsmanship company. The creative unit GO ON was born when six young successors of traditional crafts, each with their own unique personalities, came together and shared their aspirations. The unit's name, GO ON, also conveys the long-standing traditions and gratitude to their predecessors.

■The reason for founding GO ON

A few years ago, Hosoo, Yagi, and Tsuji frequently met at overseas exhibitions such as the Milan Salone, where they were exhibiting under their respective trade names, and they hit it off over a shared desire to make traditional crafts a career that children aspire to. In 2012, GO ON's project to expand into luxury hotels in Shanghai was selected for the Cool Japan Strategy Promotion Project promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This was also one of the reasons for the formation of the unit, and GO ON was born with the aim of providing Japanese traditional craftsmanship skills to companies and creators both in Japan and overseas, and continuing to create unprecedented products. "Even if we fail 9 times out of 10, we want to keep moving forward with the spirit to keep trying," Hosoo says enthusiastically. "In an age where the world is changing at a rapid pace, we want everyone to take on new challenges. To do this, we need a market that's profitable and has a cool style. Ultimately, we want to transform a traditional industry into a creative industry." A bar space that embodies these words opened in Singapore in December 2014. D.Bispoke, a bar that opened in Singapore, features interior design that brings together the outstanding skills of each member, including wire mesh lighting. It also has a shop selling their bespoke items. As Hosoo says, a business scheme for sustainability has been realized here. When GO ON members decide whether to take on a new project, they ask themselves, "Is the attempt new?" and "Does it extend beyond the boundaries of what's been done before?" The bar they opened in Singapore was a project that created a new stage for them.

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