Artisan Pottery

Artisan pottery is made by an artisan which is defined as a craftsman. The French word craftsman or the Italian word artigiano. They are a skilled craftsman who manufactures or creates objects that can be functional or strictly decorative, e.g. furniture, decorative arts, sculptures, clothing, jewelry, food, household items and tools, or even mechanisms such as a watchmaker 's handmade clockwork. Artisans practice a craft and can reach the expressive levels of an artist through experience and aptitude.

The adjective "craftsmanship "is sometimes used to describe hand processing in what is usually regarded as an industrial process, as in the phrase "craftsmanship. " Therefore, "artisanal "is sometimes used as a buzz word in marketing and advertising to describe or relate to the manufacture of handmade food products such as bread, beverages or cheese. Many of these are traditionally handmade, rural or pastoral products, but are now also produced on a larger scale by automated mechanization in factories and other industrial areas.

Before the Industrial Revolution, artisans were the dominant producers of consumer products. In ancient Greece craftsmen were drawn to agoras and workshops were often built in the area.

Medieval Craftsmen and Artisans

During the Middle Ages, the term "craftsman "was used for those who made or offered services. It did not apply to manual workers without qualifications. The craftsmen were divided into two separate groups: those who owned and those who did not. Those who owned their companies were called masters, while travelers and apprentices were the latter. Many people misunderstand this social group because they portray it as "workers "in the modern sense: employed by somebody. The masters, the business owners, were the most influential group among artisans. In their communities, the owners enjoyed a higher status.

Shokuninor Craftsman

Shokunin is a Japanese word for "craftsman" and also means a pride in one's own work. In the words of Tashio Odate, Shokunin:

Shokunin means not only having technical skill, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness... a social obligation to work his best for the general welfare of the people, [an] obligation both material and spiritual.

Shokunin traditionally honored their New Year's trade tools. The sharpened and cared for tools would be placed in a tokonoma or container or box found in Japanese houses and shops, and two rice cakes and a tangerine were placed on top of each toolbox in order to honor the tools and express gratitude for carrying out their task.

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