What role does the approach of producing only moderate quantities in collaboration with local workshops, instead of mass production, play?
One wonders about the background behind a stationery manufacturer choosing to cooperate with local workshops instead of large factory facilities. I want to know what difference the standard of medium-scale production makes to the actual level of finish.
It plays the role of breaking away from the standardization of mass production, fully preserving the delicate hand techniques of Kyoto artisans while meticulously managing the level of finish.
TAG STATIONERY was born from Bunguten TAG, which distributed stationery with 16 stores in Kyoto city[1]. Starting from a distributor dealing with numerous stationery items, it advanced into a manufacturer that directly makes everyday items[2].
Today, we will take an in-depth look at just one production method established with workshops. The main store of TAG STATIONERY is located in Karasuma Matsubara, where traditional dyeing and textile culture remains strong[3]. Instead of relying on large-scale factory facilities, the brand chose the path of cooperating with artisans and workshops in the Kyoto area[4]. It is a method of producing only medium-scale quantities that can maintain quality without excessively increasing production volume[5]. Collaboration with workshops possessing hand skills forms the foundation for preserving unique textures and colors that are difficult to achieve in mass production.
Amid such collaboration, in 2015-11, the first original product, the writing ink series Kyo no Oto, was released[6]. hmmm, choosing artisans' workshops instead of massive facilities was an attitude intended to naturally imbue the stationery with the cultural texture of the city of Kyoto.
The specific name of the local Kyoto workshop that co-developed and produced Kyo no Oto ink has not yet been confirmed.