Background

Elderly people over 65 are expected to account for over 40% of the Japanese population by 2060 (it was 12% in 1970). For youths under 14, the percentage is expected to drop from 18% to 10%. Although many developed countries face the challenges of an aging society, Japanese society is aging at an unprecedented pace further complicated by a declining birthrate. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pass on the skills and spirit of craftsmanship nurtured by countless nameless Japanese craftsmen. In fact, there are only five or six kacchu-shi (Japanese armor makers) left in Japan to carry on the tradition. This is creating a crisis because it requires over a year to finish one set of kacchu armor. That is why we need to focus more on the young generation to improve this situation.

Describe the creative idea

Being a Japanese craftsman means living to continuously refine one’s skills. This project focuses on the unrivaled skills of Japanese craftsmen passed down through generations. Samurai Avatar lets anyone experience the digital creation of Japanese samurai armor embodying the spirit of armor craftsmen from the past. Just upload a photo of your face, select a helmet and other parts, and finish with your favorite color to create unique armor from over one trillion combinations. You can also download your Samurai Avatar data and output a full-color figure via 3D printer to transform the digital experience into a tangible object and help revive samurai culture today.

Describe the strategy

The culture of craftsmanship passed on for centuries is considered too complex to understand and difficult to attract interest. Craftsmen also tend to silently immerse themselves in honing their skills and shy away from media communication. So young people have little point of contact with the culture. This is why we prepared content that would open people’s eyes to the joys of craftsmanship and the true value of crafted works, and made it easily available to anyone in non-verbal form in the digital space. We also wanted the platform to allow participation on a global scale since the bearers of this unique Japanese culture may not necessarily be Japanese.

Describe the execution

In Samurai Avatar, users first select their face photo, then pieces of armor, the helmet and other parts before finishing with their favorite colors. The avatar is finally completed when the background family crest design and country/region are selected. The completed avatar can be viewed from 360 degrees and zoomed in and out. Samurai Gallery shows all created avatars on a world map in real time. Selecting a country on the map shows a list of all avatars made in that country. The website also includes documentary videos of seven craftsmen that can be watched on all flights aboard ANA, Japan's largest airline. Samurai Avatar data can be downloaded and output via 3D printer as a 17cm-tall, full-colored figure with your face. We recommend plaster as the material. The digital creation experience is free, while 3D figure production requires a fee.

List the results

Samurai Avatar swept the world within three months of its publication, inspiring over 530 articles in 60 countries and over 12 million movie views. As a result, it gained over 50,000 SNS shares, 5.5 million impressions, 1,400,000 website visitors from 140 countries and 15,000 samurai figures within half a year of publication. Moreover, the website was shared by many influencers around the world after Steve Aoki, one of the world’s ten most popular DJs, broadcasted a video of himself producing his own avatar via Twitter and Instagram to 15 million followers. Both the PC and mobile sites received FWA Of The Day awards from FWA, which recognizes the world's most cutting-edge websites.