As a craftsman of copper ware

Could you tell me about how you became a craftsman?

 
 I do not have a specific trigger, but when I was little, I grew up seeing my grandfather and my father work. I used to play at the work place, and it was natural for me to take this job.
 

Could you tell me when you became a full-fledged craftsman after starting your training at 18?

 
 I am still not sure, but I think I recently just became one.
 

Do you think your aim is set high because of the experience working with your predecessor?

 

 I could not catch up with my father quite easily. There is a big gap in the amount of work compared to back then. There used to be 5 craftsmen here, my father, his brother, and 3 other craftsmen. I think they were able to concentrate on their work. Craftsman has his own field of expertise, so maybe they were sharing their work, but now, I have to do it all by myself. This is where I think I am still not catching up with my father.

About copper ware

Could you tell me about the products you make today?

 

 Up to today, I mainly have been making teapots and kettles, but it is very hard to mass-produce. As for kettles, they have many parts such as lids and grips, and it makes the production difficult. Also, they have to have the right size of openings for each. Others, I make pans and fireplaces for hibachi. Recently, cups sell well. Sadly, omelet pans and cups became the mainstream these days.
 

Have the things you make changed compared to the past?

 
 We call the fireplace for hibachi, an “Otoshi”, and we used to make only these back then. I sometimes receive orders today. Now, the main material is veneer, but they used to send us measurements for paulownia wood (kiri), called “Kiri-sun”. They used to have these fireplaces at restaurants for each person, but when gas came out, this custom died. We get orders from joineries, but because we do the production with hands, the number of pieces produced is never high. My father always told me that we have to do our best since people are waiting for us even until midnights.
 

It seems that the demand back then was very different from today.

 
 Yes. Until gas became popular, there used to be many pots and fireplaces. There was a time when only “kando-ko” was made. It is a copper pot which is used to warm sake. There is also a pot called “unagi do-ko” where you heat sake using the heat of the fire burning unagi. These kando-ko too were taken over by machine-made stainless steel pots. After stopping the production of kando-ko, I think the production of small works such as bowls and omelet pans started. In the old times, craftsmen had some extra time in summer since their work of making kando-ko is not that busy. They started making these small products at these times and it gradually became fully promoted. At my father’s times, teapots were the main product. We used to put these teapots at department stores in Shinjuku, and about 50 of them were sold each month.We used to have two craftsmen who only make teapots here. Also, we had a craftsman from Niigata who did the lacquering all year round.
 

“Kando-ko” is a copper pot which is used to warm sake(the image provided by Tamotsu Hoshino)

Could you tell me about any particular features of copper?

 
 Copper is a type of metal which is very easily heated. It can warm water fast and the heat does not concentrate only on the part where the fire is. Stainless steel does not spread the heat, which makes it burn. This is why omelet pans are best with copper.In addition, at Japanese sweets shops, they use copper pots to cook adzuki beans. Because the heat is conducted uniformly, it is able to cook the beans evenly and beautifully.
 

Are there many copperware craftsmen in Taito city?

 

  There used to be 3 houses here, but they are now gone. There were a few craftsmen who made copper pots like us back then. I guess people who call us a “do-ko ya (copper pots shop)” must be over 80 today.
There were many iron foundries around here, which made it easy to supply materials. Also, there were many teahouses where geishas gathered too, so there were always demands. Moreover, this street had many theaters and was always crowded. When I was in elementary school, the store was opened until 10 o’clock at night. Back then, Asakusa was very famous for movies, but there are none today.

Former store before rebuilding(the image provided by Tamotsu Hoshino)

About the production process

Could you tell me about the production process?

 

 It depends on what product you are going to make, but first, you cut the ground metal and fit it to the measurements. And then heat it red at 800 degrees Celsius, and strike to make the shape. When hit by a hammer, the softened ground metal gets hard. In some cases, you keep hitting it to draw a pattern.

A technique called “tsuchimeuchi" creates the hammer pattern inside of a ware.

Could you tell me about the coloring process?

  We boil the copper with copper rust liquid to make it orange. On top of it, we lacquer and burn to luster. With black products, we use sulfur. This is one of the oldest ways of coloring. We usually do not do black finishing, but we do orange one everyday.

Small pot finishing sulfide

It’s because of copper that they have such many colors.

 
 Nowadays, people associate luminous things with copper but not with orange colored products. It is a little troublesome for us, makers. We start to lose the intention of why we spend so much time on it. This is why many craftsmen make their products shiny and glittering. However, I think products used at tatami rooms should be moderate and should have calm color.
 

Tools

Could you tell me about the tools used?

 

 There are many kinds of hammers with different sizes and shapes. Depending on which part to hit, I change the type of hammer. This is the one that is used to hit the bottom of a pan. For convenience, it is made with long end.

Possibility of hand-made

Could you tell me about the quality of hand-made?

 With machines, there will not be elegance. All of the hammer perforations would be the same. After all, hand-made would leave an impressive remark.
 

Could you tell me about the things you keep in mind as a craftsman?

 

  I always hand over the product to each customer with respect. Even I make lots everyday, it is one for each person. I keep that in mind and work with great effort.