Enjoying the quiet summer months,
we travelled across Japan to Miyakonojo and the Kirishima sankei region
to visit one of the last wooden weapon workshops of Japan:
"Matsuzaki Bokuto Seisakujo".
The founder, Master Matsuzaki Yoshinori switched from agricultural tools to
the manufacture of Bokken 1969.
The tradition is perpetuated today by the founder's son, Master Matsuzaki Yoshiaki,
assisted by his son, Matsuzaki Yoshimasa.
My workshop's date of foundation?
Let me see.. maybe...
Well, the official one is something like Showa 40-something.
Showa 44 (1969), 43 (1968) or 44 (1969) I think.
I can't remember it exactly.
But it must've been around 44 (1969).
But before that, we were making wooden tools.
Then we officially changed to Bokken manufacturing,
starting in Showa 44 (1969).
I think that's approximately when we started manufacturing Bokken.
Then...
My father continued manufacturing Bokken,
and I started at my father's workshop when I was 18,
and learned the craft.
At the time, there were 4 craftsmen,
5 including my father and 2 (factory) workers.
Further 4-5 helper, doing the sanding and varnishing.
So when I came back from school and started at the workshop,
we were thinking about stabilizing on 14 or 15 people...
And back then, everything was completely hand made.
We didn't have machines like those we have today,
and a craftsman could within a day make about 35 pieces, planing only.
40 pieces at most... but we'd still have to sand and varnish or polish them.
So, in those days...
When we started to sell Bokken
no matter how much we made, it was never enough.
We've customers with whom we've been
doing business for about 50 years.
From since my father started.
So two of these clients we had for about 50 years,
and others for 30 years, or something
over 20 years.
The reason why we could without
worries manufacture Bokken
was because we had these relations.
From the time we started, they would purchase
almost 100% of the products from us.
So, as I told you before, we didn't have to compete
with an excessively low price.
So that's why we could do it
and actually still can.
As far as I know
there were 15 or 16 companies I think.
Some of them would work as individuals.
Artisans who were formerly agricultural tools craftsmen
switched over to produce Bokken.
So some artisans were making Bokken on a freelance basis.
In those places, there was no successor,
so they would naturally retire and their company disappear.
You can't say it exactly like that, but in a certain way, they didn't have the people and their business failed.
In the end, the cause was the cheap selling
that lead to an increase in debts.
So certain businesses went
bankrupt like that.
That's why there were several cases where the business couldn't be continued
because there was no successor
or because they were pushed into bankruptcy.
Well, some disappeared for those reasons, and now...
there are only 4 workshops remaining.
Because we had successors.
Like me and the sons of the other workshops,
we were taught the art and took over.
That's why today, there are 4 workshops left.
Well, those left are those with successors.
The tip of the Bokken is slightly
thinner than that of the others.
Like those we're making at the workshop...
That's my father who first made that kind of Bokken.
Well..
I don't know his name, but one of these
long time business partners came to see my father...
that was 50 years ago and at that time
there was still room to improve our Bokken...
Those clients who were selling martial arts articles,
who've passed away now, asked my father
to make the Bokken in a specific shape. They discussed it and
in the end, the shape was decided like that.
So my father created this product based on
the discussions with the main clients,
and this shape got popular (was spread) among them
and hence, I (my generation) can't decide to
change the shape of our Bokken all of a sudden.
But also, I like the style of my father's Bokken.
I think it's the best.
That's why also in the present,
I still make the Bokken in the shape my father developed,
and I tell my son that
I'd like him to keep this shape as well.
This is the special characteristic of our model.
At a first glance, you might not see the difference,
but we as artisans, we can tell which workshop has made it,
master Horinouchi, master Nidome or master Aramaki.
We see it immediately.
And my father always used to say
"don't start cutting corner, even if it's just the finish, just because you're busy!"
At least a minimum of sanding
and then the varnish - back then. In our days now
it's quite popular to spray them, but we still
varnish them with pads, rubbing it.
Because, varnishing is actually quite satisfying.
Using pads might not seem very effective, but...
A teacher of a furniture dealer,
he told us when we all were assembled,
"The basic of wood coating is varnishing with pads"
So that's what he taught us.
We bought a compressor,
and gave it a try.
The varnish was used up in a blink.
You throw away half of it. With pads, you use 100%.
There's no waste. And that's what I was taught as basic.
And I still think that it's the best way to do it.
This is how we do it, using this technique.
But I don't judge which is better - you also get a
nice result using spray. But we, we do it our way.
The Japanese word "shokunin" (職人) is defined in Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries
as 'craftsman' or 'artisan,'
but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning.
The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills,
but also implies an attitude and social consciousness.
The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people.
This obligation is both spiritual and material,
in that no matter what it is, the shokunin's responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.
ーToshio Odate, Artist and Teacher
The part that is really hard?
hmm..
..there's no such "hardship" concerning work,
but lately, because of my age,
my eyes are not as good as they used to be.
So when I look at a Booken like this,
I can see my hands clearly, but the tip is blurry.
Even if I wear glasses, I still can't see the whole piece clearly.
Indeed, my physical strength is decreasing.
As for example my eyesight.
These are the things that happen
I cannot do the measuring of custom made products
easily by myself, like I used to.
My son checks the dimensions,
the execution of the Mine, of the Shinogi etc.
These are the things he checks for me.
Recently, those difficult handmade tasks -
it's not that I can't do them anymore,
but compared to the olden days, I Iost confidence, little by little.
But particular hardships.. Of course, there are
the difficulties of stocking material etc. but I don't
really consider these as hardships.
It's rather the "course of events", it's how it is nowadays.
But, growing old(er), little by little,
I can't do the various custom made orders
exactly as I want to anymore.
I can feel that.
And that's been becoming annoying, lately.
The custom made orders.
Making those custom made orders. That became troublesome.
But thinking about it like that, I naturally hand over to my son.
That's the natural flow of things, right?
So it's my son who does it, and he can do it by himself.
What I like?
Well, it's not that I don't like work of course
But I'd rather just live enjoying myself.
But having a simple piece of timber,
a raw material, that I could change into a product.
Well.. It's (to start) from a simple tree. Making a nice product,
one better than I had imagined myself.
To the finish of the wood color.
Those are very pleasant moments,
that's when I'm satisfied, and happy.
When the result turns out to be better than I thought.
When I look at it after finishing and think:
"ah, I did a good object".
Depending on the quality of the timber...
That timber becomes like this maybe..
This non-discript timber...
when polishing it like this or doing that and finishing it,
the grain becomes unbelievably stunning. That the surface of the wood becomes nice,
you can already guess it, when you see the timber.
I like wood...
I really like the wood.
I use oil for Sunuke and ebony,
to reveal their particularities.
If Sunuke, or Kokutan...
isn't oiled, it'll cleave and get cracks.
Even if you keep the finished product in a room.
If you have a heater or air conditioner, it will crack.
That's mainly the reason why these timbers are oiled.
Using varnish for the oak.
We have some over there,
the oak I'm using.
We put it into a steaming oven...
when the timber starts to swell up
we put it in the steaming oven and take off the oil and scum.
But if we'd keep it like this, its appearance and color wouldn't look nice.
Originally, and even if called 'red' oak, if it dries naturally
it becomes whitish or yellowish.
But if you steam it, oil it, and let it dry for a year,
if you varnish it after that, the color becomes red.
That's why we varnish it.
It's specific to the type of wood.
To get the best out of it,
we'd either varnish or leave it like that.
But we can actually use the timber to our liking.
So if it was just me, I'd leave the white oak unvarnished as much as possible.
But with white oak it's difficult.
Sometimes, there is some that is completely white.
But during the drying process, the color almost looks burnt,
when the water doesn't evaporate completely and some is left, it becomes darker,
There's not just outstanding and totally white timber.
That's how it is.
With our hands, we now have to use the timber in the best way we can, racking our brains.
We're actually thankful for that.
Sending out products, sending out objects, selling them,
we're thankful for that.
However,
I say that to our regular customers, and to Seido as well,
It is quite hard to respect the appointed day of delivery, having ready all items.
At our workshop, it's only me and my son.
The orders of our most important clients pile up during the same period, and for the same products.
And everyone wants to get the items quickly.
Till that and that date the orders have to be sent out.
From January...
Actually from the end of November, we start getting busy.
So from November, over New Years, January till May, until the national holidays in May,
we work with barely a day off.
That's how busy we are.
But in this industry, it has always been like this.
During summer, until now, there were calm periods when we hadn't to send out any products.
We did our best during busy times.
And during summer, we could slow down a bit.
But the last few years... the no such summer break anymore.
Now, we receive orders continuously
and we're always pressed to meet the deadlines.
But this said, having work, receiving orders,
for us and for our work, we're thankful and happy about it.
Although it's physically tough, we do our best every day.
That's how it is.
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