The Pride of Meeting a Craftsman Who Can Hand-Carve Wood #1

The word "craftsman" that I used in the title.
It sounds cool, doesn't it?
Someone who faces something seriously and has mastered a single craft.

I moved from Tokyo to Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture in 2018, and as the elements that make up my daily life changed, the people I met also changed in a gentle way.

Due to the nature of my work, I often have connections with people in the construction industry even after moving, but this time I would like to write about an encounter with a "true craftsman" that surprised me, or rather, made me very happy.
That is because when I was in Tokyo, I rarely had the opportunity to meet such a person, even if I wanted to.

In the past, the method was for carpenters to procure local timber themselves, use tools to hand-carve joints and connections, and assemble them. They would build houses by carefully assessing and judging which part of the structure to use the timber for, taking into account the properties and condition of the procured wood, the season, and the local climate.
However, recently, due to the aging of craftsmen and a shortage of human resources, the mainstream method for building wooden houses is to transport timber called "pre-cut" (pre-cut by machine in a factory) to the site and assemble it.

Therefore, a craftsman who can hand-carve is very precious. That is why I am happy to have met such a precious "true craftsman."

I became acquainted with the carpenter Mr. Ohno through work on a construction site that my husband was in charge of. Mr. Ohno is in his mid-40s and is on the younger side among craftsmen. He runs a construction firm with his father, spanning two generations. It is said that when he was young, he went to apprentice under a master known as a local expert and acquired the skills of hand-carving.

Which timber to use for which part of the house, in what orientation to use it, how to lay it out to minimize waste, which tools to use and how to carve it... and so on. A single carpenter named Mr. Ohno thinks about all of these things and gives them shape while working with his hands.

From Mr. Ohno's stories, I always feel his dedication as a craftsman.
He pays attention to details that are hidden and invisible, and that no one would notice, thinking and thinking about maintenance after the owner has used it for a long time, and even future renovations, before giving them shape.
When he is troubled and cannot find an answer even after thinking, he says he imagines what his master, under whom he apprenticed when he was young, would do. He says he finds an answer by layering his own thoughts with what his master would do.

Having worked with Mr. Ohno repeatedly and seen the finished results, I now realize that this dedication is his pride as a "true craftsman."

In #2, I would like to touch upon the tools that Mr. Ohno cherishes.