I am Taeko Yamamoto, representative director of Bilizen Co., Ltd.
Although irregular, I would like to bring you some information about my NFT business and about what I am thinking about on a daily basis.

About eight years ago, I learned something important from the manager of a long-established Japanese company through my research at the business school.
That is, a purpose of business and a purpose of life is to “build a better society and connect it with the next generation”.

No one stands here by his or her own strength alone. We are here today thanks to the efforts and wisdom of our great predecessors. So if we can pass the baton from them on to the next generation in even a slightly better form, the future will be brighter, even if only a little.

That person is engaged in the manufacture and sale of Urushi lacquerware in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
Urushi lacquerware is one of Japan’s traditional crafts with a history of about 1,500 years, and is known as “Japan” in English.

Geographically and historically, Japan is blessed with an environment that gathers wisdom from all over the world.
The reason why foreign visitors to Japan feel a sense of nostalgia as well as freshness may be because they can catch a glimpse of their own country’s wisdom in the Japanese culture.

I believe that NFT is one of the means by which we can “Build a better society and connect it with the next generation”. I would like to discuss how I came to this conclusion in the next issue.

Image Source: ColBase
National Treasure “Writing Box, Pontoon bridge design in “maki-e” lacquer”, By Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558-1637), Edo period, 17th century, Tokyo National Museum Collection

Material:
Makoto Hirano; Taeko Yamamoto; Kiyonori Sakakibara; Mitsuhiro Kurashige. “Social innovation in Sabae city: As a new type of industrial movement in Japan” IEEE Conference Proceedings Vol.2016, Issued by PICMET, 2016, pp.1217-1223. JST Material Number: W2441A