This paper explores self-renewal of regional specialization in the production center on the basis of a study for Arita porcelain production center in Japan. Arita is the birthplace of porcelain in Japan. In Arita, a few core porcelain producers, for instance Koransya, Fukagawaseiji, Kakiemon, and Imaemon, have taken the responsibility to refine the skills and keep its tradition after Meiji Restoration. The others respect the core porcelain producers to rule the region as a leader. Arita, which had been the major production center of the business tableware, has been in recession due to an economic crisis and the emergence of imported ceramics in recent years. Arita production center, however, successfully diversified its product categories and tried to make progress for the self-renewal of its regional specialization, which were driven by entrepreneurship of a leading group of the frontier porcelain producers and wholesalers.

This paper insists that the frontier porcelain producers’ and wholesalers’ entrepreneurship stimulated self-renewal of regional specialization. It also argues that the unwritten competition rule, preventing cut throat competition, served as a catalyst to keep the region as a porcelain production center alive. Each regional specialization has been supported by these unwritten rules on the basis of the system of encouraging the local talent.