Master's Works

Japanese: 親方作品 - おやかたさくひん

…As the population of the city grew, so did the number of apprentices and craftsmen, but the number of master shares was fixed, and the number of craftsmen who could not become masters increased, which became a major problem. Therefore, a system was established in which those who had worked as craftsmen for a certain period of time were required to submit a Masterpiece or Meisterstück, and those who passed the examination could finally become masters by paying the union membership fee and other fees. However, because the number of master shares was limited, the master's children were given priority, and it was a long way for ordinary craftsmen to become masters. …

From the Apprenticeship System

…On the continent, it was customary for craftsmen to travel around to different places to improve their skills, but in England, this was not necessarily the case. In order for a craftsman to obtain a master's qualification, he had to create a masterpiece and have it examined by a guild member. This helped maintain the standard of technique and the quality of the product. …

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Master's Works" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…都市人口の増大とともに徒弟や職人の数も増加していったが，親方株の数は定められており，親方になれない職人の数が増大してゆき，大きな問題となっていた。そこで一定の期間職人として勤めた者が親方作品Masterpiece,Meisterstückを提出し，審査に合格した者は組合加入金その他を支払って，やっと親方になれるという道がつけられるようになった。しかし親方株が限定されていたため，親方の子弟がまず優先され，一般の職人には親方への道は遠かった。…