How did Kimura become an Edo-style cabinetmaker?

How and when did you become an Edo-style cabinetmaker?

 

  I had worked for a small furniture maker in Hiroshima Prefecture since I was 15 years old, but the maker gradually became a big manufacturer, and furniture began to be produced on assembly lines. I could not cultivate my skills in the manufacturer. By a turn of fate, I came to Tokyo and began to do this job. I apprenticed myself to a master and was trained for 13 years.

 

You were thoroughly trained, weren't you?

 
 I thought that I could become independent after 10 years of training, but when I asked my master whether I could be independent or not after 10 years, he asked me to take care of other apprentices for three years, so I took care of the apprentices, thinking that it was a free service for my master. In the past, there was an apprentice system, so if I was told to do so by my master, I should obey my master. Since I was the first apprentice, I took care of younger apprentices on behalf of my master. After serving my apprenticeship for 13 years, I was set up in business by my master.
My master and his wife had good personalities, so I have been able to work as a craftsman. My parents died when I was a child, so I had no one to depend upon. I did jobs for a living at that time. Therefore, I went through both difficult and pleasant times, but I met my master, and wanted to be like him. In accordance with my master's wish, I have worked as a craftsman to this day.
  

Cabinetwork made of Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island

Cabinetmakers who use Mulberry-wood are called "Kuwamono-shi," aren't they?
 

 In the past, cabinetmakers who used Mulberry-wood were called "Soju-sho." Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island is of the highest quality. In the past, Miyake Island, located next to Mikura Island, had better shipping connections, so Mulberry-wood from Miyake Island was used. Mulberry trees in Miyake Island had continuously been cut down since the Meiji Period, so the Mulberry trees were depleted. It takes 300 to 400 years for Mulberry trees to grow up. Since large ships did not reach Mikura Island for a long period of time, Mulberry trees remained on the island. The ocean around Mikura Island is clear, and abounds with fish, so hundreds of thousands of seabirds fly to the island every year. Those seabirds make their nests, and bring nutriment from fish they eat to the island, so good Mulberry trees gown on the island. Mulberry-wood is definitely the best material for cabinetwork.
 

Is all Mulberry-wood that you are using from Mikura Island?

 
 I have been linked to Mikura Island by fate. Since the road running around Mikura Island was constructed about 20 years ago, untouched Mulberry trees could be hewed out. When about 50 Mulberry trees from Mikura Island were taken to the lumber market, I bought a significant number of the Mulberry trees. Since then, I was connected to people on Mikura Island. So they have continuously sold Mulberry trees to me. It is the reason I can use Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island.
 

Is this brown wood from Mikura Island?

 
 Mulberry-wood has yellow grain, but if uncoated Mulberry-wood is polished, it turns beautiful brown after a lapse of 40 to 50 years. After all, the color and shine of Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island are different from those of other materials. Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island is beautifully tanned as time goes by. Nowadays, it is rarely taken to the market. People who cut down Mulberry trees get older, and the number of the loggers has decreased. Logging is hard and dangerous job for young people, so they scarcely become loggers. Since roots of Mulberry trees are the most beautiful parts, the trees need to be dug up from the roots, but it is very hard work. It is necessary to lift the tree after digging the ground around the tree, so it is the work that requires a lot of time and effort.
 

Manufacturing processes

Could you tell me about the manufacturing processes of Edo-style cabinetwork?

 

  First of all, logs are sawn into planks at a lumber mill. Then, the planks are seasoned for 10 to 15 years, and sliced into thin boards when using them. After assembling cabinetwork out of the wood, I lacquer it to complete the processes. Some craftsmen ask specialists to lacquer it, but I do it by myself for more than 30 years. Since I can lacquer it as many times as I want, I can do it until I am satisfied. The more times I lacquer it, the higher its quality is. However, it can be lacquered just once a day, so when it is this cold (in February), it is slow to dry up. So the hardest times are when it is cold.

 

It takes a long time to make cabinetwork, doesn't it?

 
 For a small drawer that I am now making, it takes about two months to complete all processes, including coating process. Therefore, after receiving an order, I make two different products: one for the customer, and the other one for myself. I make a variety of products and put them aside on a routine basis.
  

Tools

What kind of tools do you use to make cabinetwork?

 

 I use small Japanese-style planes to process small parts of cabinetwork. I make all these tools by myself. Each cabinetwork has a different shape. A plane that fits a size of each cabinetwork is not sold, so I make it by myself. Craftsmen who succeed to their family businesses also take over tools.

 

You need as many tools as the number of products, don't you?

 

 Yes. In the past. geishas tucked this type of hand mirror into their obi belts, and used it at zashiki dinner parties. Originally, there was only one type of hand mirror. However, if a customer needs a larger mirror, I make that size of mirror. In that case, a small plane that fits the size of the mirror is needed, so the number of tools has gradually increased.

Pride as a craftsman

Could you tell me about a sense of satisfaction as a craftsman?

 

 I make anything customers want. I set up a partition inside this small drawer because a customer said he/she wanted to put jewels inside it.  This Mulberry-wood leaned against the wall is just measured. I was asked by a customer to use this wood to make a Buddhist altar. I was asked to give a simple shape that is not like a Buddhist altar to it. He/she also asked me to attach an object, which is a memento of his/her deceased parent, to it. Of course, I also design crafts that are not ordered, and decide measurements of them by myself. If a customer use a craft and is satisfied with it in that way, I am also happy.
 We have held exhibitions every year, so customers have gradually become discerning. Therefore, even if other person makes a cabinet of which shape is copied from my cabinet, it is not sold at a high price. It is a blessing for us because the real stuff is in demand and used by customers. As with human beings, a piece of work reveals a craftsman's personality. Even if a craftsman's name is not written on a piece of work, it is possible to tell who made it. Finally, if customers select and use Edo-style cabinetwork, which I make out of Mulberry-wood from Mikura Island bringing out natural grain of the wood, I feel that my job is worth doing.