The Continuance and Changes of Horsehair Handicraft Tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage

The provision of support for the art of making these items needs to be considered with the focus on the following factors: the local situation of the areas where such traditional handicrafts are still made, the craftspeople involved in their production, and their communities. So far, discussion about how to reinvigorate traditional handicrafts, including those mentioned above, has been concentrated on the measures taken to promote them as part of the handicrafts industry and the allocation of the government’s budget for important intangible cultural heritages.The government runs a traditional handicrafts management system and provides financial support for the craftspeople and spaces for exhibiting their work. This form of support has led to systematic management of traditional handicrafts and heightened public interest in cultural heritage, as well as publicizing the country’s traditional crafts, but has made little progress in the following areas: the fostering of young people willing to learn traditional skills, diversification of the types of skills to be maintained, or establishment of the networks of collaboration among the craftspeople. The most important aspect among the efforts mentioned above is to maintain cultural traditions that are unique to each region by encouraging local craftspeople to engage in their work with a solid sense of pride backed up by financial support.This study was carried out in connection with the need to reinvigorate the art of making tanggeon (horsehair crown), manggeon (horsehair headband), and gat (black horsehair hat), which few people wear as they are used only for ornamental purposes nowadays. This study examined the circumstances surrounding the artisans engaged in the production of horsehair handicrafts prior to their designation as a cultural heritage, and the changes that occurred in the local communities associated with their production after the designation, in order to assess the status of inheritance of this tradition.