![[No. 3] Learning from Repeated Failures—The Skills & Design Polished by Living National Treasure Mamoru Nakagawa](https://images.microcms-assets.io/assets/1775a3633c8b428d9f011c6a758a8a5c/c0f9553ee2f14dba99a845eafdb50113/fix_DSC_0648.JPG?w=420&fm=webp&dpr=2)
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Living National Treasure Mamoru Nakagawa shared that his work as an industrial designer and his training in crafts were far more grueling than we might imagine. Though Nakagawa now looks back and speaks of it as a fond memory, he reflected on that period in his life by saying, "Life is just like running a full marathon."
To master the delicate technique of "Kaga Zogan (加賀象嵌)," it truly was a journey of a thousand miles that began with a single step. That's why Nakagawa likely felt the importance of making progress, even just a half-step forward, every day. That persistent effort propelled him to the status of Living National Treasure.
Still, the charm of Nakagawa’s works lies not only in their delicacy but also in his sense of design. In this installment, we focus on his apprentice days studying traditional crafts under Professor Takahashi Kaishu, when he confronted the difficulties of the discipline and discovered the importance of free thinking unconstrained by conventional values.
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