Exhibition

Aichi Prefecture is one of Japan’s top industrial areas in terms of the value of products shipped, and within Aichi, Toyota City is a hub of skilled manufacturing where the automobile industry thrives. This has historically been a region where manufacturing flourished, from pottery as exemplified by the historic Sanage kiln in olden times, to the sericulture (silkworm cultivation and silk extraction) industry in the modern era. Today, skilled manufacturing is marked by increased automation of various processes, and machines are taking over formerly manual tasks in a growing number of fields. However, manual skills have not declined in importance. No matter how mechanization progresses and robots take over tasks, it is human beings who train the robots to perform these tasks. It can be said that the goal of automation is to replicate the smooth movements of human hands. The same is true of the skills required to control automated systems. Manufacturers are well aware of the importance of such skills, and are endeavoring to ensure that skills are handed down from mentors to mentees within companies. Held every two years, the WorldSkills Competition is an opportunity for highly trained and skilled young workers to gather from all over the world and put their skills to the test, and the objects they produce during the competition are exquisite in their precision.
This exhibition reaffirms the importance of human skill in manufacturing, and seeks to convey understanding of its meaning and role, while at the same time finding beauty in precision and shedding new light on objects created through extraordinary skills.