Infusing Soul into Tools: The Roots of the 'Craftsman Spirit' Supporting Japanese Wine

The reason Japanese craftsmen are said to be the best in the world is not merely due to their manual dexterity. Deeply embedded within it is a unique Japanese spirituality, nurtured precisely because of the limited resources available on an island nation.

Take, for example, the word 'mottainai.' In Japan, there has long been a deep appreciation for using tools until the very end.
The legend of 'Tsukumogami,' which suggests that tools gain a soul after 100 years, is the very symbol of this.
Treating objects not as mere 'inanimate things,' but as extensions of one's own body or as partners with whom one shares a soul.

I believe this animistic sensibility is the root of the Japanese craftsman spirit.

'Not whether the customer is satisfied, but whether I am satisfied.'

The world of the craftsman holds an aesthetic that is the exact opposite of modern efficiency-first principles. It is the stance of 'staking one's life on the details that the customer might not even notice.'

A craftsman, who is more well-versed in the craft than the customer, hones and perfects their work until they are personally convinced.

Customer satisfaction is a given.
Only when they reach that 'personal ideal' one step beyond is it considered a 'product.'

In today's efficiency-driven world, this might be called 'outdated.' However, I am convinced.
This obsession, which could even be called 'madness,' is the source of all business, and the source of the emotion found in Japanese wine.

(Next time: How to evolve this craftsman spirit and connect it to the world. The challenge of 'Shu-Ha-Ri'.)