【Kyo-Sashimono】Interview with Mr. Shimizu

The Hakoshichi Workshop is located in the mountains north of Kyoto Prefecture. Mr. Takashi Shimizu, a Kyoto cabinetmaker, has been selected as one of the "Kyoto Master Craftsmen" and "Contemporary Master Craftsmen. His workshop is located in the mountains of Kyoto, where he spontaneously lives and works at his craft. When I heard that he has a bathtub he made himself by the riverside, I felt it is like a survivalist lifestyle. We asked Mr. Shimizu about his past and vision for the future.

I don't really have a trigger, but I have always loved making things, and most of all, the reason why I started to crafts is because I was watching my father's work. I used to stay in the workshop all the time and watched his work. I was like a kid at the front gate (laughs).

I still vividly remember receiving a brand-new plane (kanna) when I was in the fourth grade. It was too big for a child, but I was excited to be able to use the same thing as an adult. I still use that planer today. 

At the time, I didn't even know how to use it, so I had to ask a few craftspeople around me. I was in the workshop all the time, and since we were not a very wealthy family, my father used to make wooden airplanes and other things out of wood. 

That was one of the reasons why I started making plastic models, 1/24th scale soldiers and tanks, and I did all the painting as well. I won a Tamiya contest when I was in elementary school.

I liked making things, and I went on to study wood crafts in high school, but my feeling at the time was that I liked making things more than anything else, rather than wanting to be a craftsman. I didn't have any particular desire to be a craftsman at the time. I had many arguments with my father at the time, because I said I would go to college to become a teacher (laugh), and I wanted a teaching license at the time.

There have been many twists and turns, but I guess there must be some meaning in the fact that I took over my father's work and am still doing it today. I think God is telling me that it is my job.

It is precision and originality. I have been taught many things by 11 masters including my father. I think that theories are not so important. However, I believe that "ingenuity" is the most important part of this creative job.

When I went to Kanagawa, I saw their traditional marquetry and was inspired by it to create my own work, and I keep my antenna up to get hints from various places.

I hope I can keep creating wooden crafts steadily. I never want to push sales, and I hope that only people who like my crafts will buy them.

In the past, there were many people who were into tea ceremony and they were particular about the materials and uses of their craft, but after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the number of such people decreased drastically. There used to be many rich people living in Ashiya, so we used to go to that area to sell our products.

Now, rather than increasing our sales, we are uploading videos on YouTube to young people who want to become wood craftspeople, so that more people can know about wooden crafts.

It could be the process of making wood joinery, or answering questions received by our viewers! Currently, it is difficult to build a master apprentice relationship with young people and teach them some techniques. Therefore, we are uploading all the techniques to those who are interested in the world of woodworking, without hiding our traditional skills. We do not hide them because we believe that younger generations should steal the techniques and be creative in their own ways.

As well as trying new things, I want to keep my own stance. I do not want to sell to customers with mass production. My father once told me, "You don’t have to run after people who left. But when they come back, you better to welcome them with open arms.” Again, I don't think it is necessary to sell your skills to many people by forcing them.

I also believe that it is enough to receive considerations that is commensurate with one's size. I think that the best moment of this job is when a customer says, "Thank you for making this craft.

Listening to Mr. Takashi Shimizu's story, especially his words, "Failure is the source of growth," seems to symbolize his attitude that challenges and learning are very important.

I also think it is wonderful that he is willing to share his skills and knowledge with a new generation and disseminate information through YouTube.

I was encouraged by his words that valuing "growth," not "success," and sticking to one's beliefs is the true path to recognition. With his words in mind, I hope that young people involved in manufacturing and the arts will continue on their own paths.