Abstract
Echizen Washi, a handmade paper tradition with over 1,500 years of history, represents a unique synthesis of craftsmanship, spirituality, and community. Rooted in Okamoto-Ōtaki Shrine, a historic shrine dedicated to the goddess of paper, Kawakami Gozen, this tradition continues to thrive as both a sacred practice and a cultural industry. As Japan faces challenges in sustaining traditional crafts and regional cultural resources, the Echizen Washi community demonstrates a forward-looking approach integrating experiential tourism, intergenerational learning, and digital transformation (DX) into heritage continuity. This paper explores how traditional cultural resources can be connected with sustainable cultural tourism through a regional resource database model integrating tacit knowledge, educational activities, digital storytelling, and community participation. The study proposes an interconnected knowledge infrastructure that supports participatory cultural continuity rather than static preservation alone. The findings suggest that DX can function not merely as a tool for digitization, but as a cultural interface connecting cultural identity, creativity, wellbeing, and regional learning ecosystems across generations.
