A Circuitous Journey that Paved the Way for Craftsmanship

What inspired you to pursue woodworking?

My family has been in the lumber business for generations, and as a child, rather than playing video games, I would play in the lumber warehouse in the mountains or in nature. My current atelier used to be my grandfather’s workshop.

As a student, I was interested in fashion and would remake clothes, bags, and handcraft leather wallets. I also became fond of mountain climbing in college and often traveled abroad.

After graduating, I spent about five years working in the apparel industry, but I always longed to work close to nature and in a craft-related job.

When I was 27, I visited a mountain-lodge-style restaurant at the foot of a mountain while hiking, and saw the owner’s handmade furniture and small items. In that instant, the dots of my childhood experiences and admiration for making things connected, and I decided then and there to become a furniture artisan in order to create with wood.

From 2014, for two years at Shinrin Takumi Juku, you learned traditional joinery techniques (Sashimono) that combine wood without nails. Can you tell us about the experience and what you learned?

I chose Shinrin Takumi Juku intuitively, thinking it would help me develop hands-on skills. We created products to be sold while learning, but even from the first day, I was polishing small items until my hands ached—it was training every day.

Under the philosophy of "A tree nurtured for 100 years deserves to be used for 100 years," I learned the basics of woodworking. Even now, I create my works with the resolve that they should retain their form for a century.