Kumiko latticework is a traditional architectural fixture used in sliding shoji screens, standalone room dividers called shoin-shoji, and transom windows called ranma. The use of good kumiko is a sign of taste, refinement, and luxury. Thousands of precisely cut, tiny pieces of wood are assembled to create intricate screens. Kumiko originated about 350 years ago, in the Kanuma region of Tochigi prefecture. Shinji Yoshiwara is a kumiko craftsman of the old order, whose tales are filled with the breathtaking rollercoaster atmosphere of Japan’s postwar economic miracle.
Interview by Takafumi Suzuki
Translation by Claire Tanaka
Mr. Yoshiwara, tell me how you got into this line of work.
It was about forty years ago now. Back then, Hitachi had a school near here. I studied there for a few years. They were really pumping out the appliances, stuff like refrigerators and air conditioners. I finished school and went to work for Hitachi. But when I was about 17 or 18, the economy suddenly went bad. All the work disappeared. So I felt I had to find something, and decided that if I could do something where I made things with my hands then I would never be out of a job. That’s where I set on the fine art of kumiko latticework.
So it wasn’t your family’s business, you just set on it by yourself?
Yes, I didn’t take it over from my father or anything. Back then, I knew a few people who were living in Kanuma so I was somewhat familiar with the place. And there was a shop there making kanuma kumiko. One day, I went to visit a friend who was a cabinet maker, and his Buddhist altar had kumiko in it. I thought to myself, “this is really beautiful, really nice.” and asked him where I could find the people making it. That’s how I got started.
What a simple first step. Did you have any hesitation about jumping in?
To me, it seemed like kumiko was the most interesting job I could find, so I had no hesitation. It’s great to be making something that requires fine worksmanship. I’d always liked making things ever since I was a kid.
How long did it take you to master all the techniques?
About twelve years, I guess. There are lots of different designs; Cast Net, Flax-leaf, Drying Net, Turtle Shell. It was bone-breaking work just to remember them all (laughs). I’d work during the day and draw designs at night.
A craftsman planes the wood
Mr. Yoshiwara wears two hats; craftsman and company president
Kumiko requires a lot of attention to detail, doesn’t it?
Yes, that’s true. With the difficult designs, once you put it together, it will never come loose. If you try to take it apart and figure out how it was made, you won’t be able to do it. Only the person who made it knows how it is put together. There are lots of complicated designs like the peacock, and the double cherry blossoms.
Designs like the peacock look like they must take a great deal of patience and skill. How much does one of those cost?
Well, at the higher end of the scale, maybe four million yen. But it takes about thirty days to build one of those. There are thousands of cypress wood pieces, all cut to about three to four millimeters, and assembled by hand, so it takes a long time. Kumiko craftsmen have to have a very high level of skill, or they can’t make certain designs. A difference of just 0.1mm and it won’t come together.
So what sort of things require a particularly high level of skill?
There are about 72 different basic kumiko design types. If you go outside those styles, to make a pattern no one has ever seen before, that’s very difficult because there’s no example to look at.
Was there a sort of tacit understanding that in order to learn the trade, you had to watch your superiors at work and copy their techniques?
I suppose that was part of it. But for the really talented people, even if you beg them to teach you, they won’t do it. Since that doesn’t work, you think, “I’ll just pretend I’ve popped by for a visit, and steal his tricks.” But when you go over, he puts cloth over his tools and works in progress, and you don’t learn a thing. (laughs) Young people these days don’t reach the point in their development where they want to learn that kind of thing, so they don’t understand. They think they can just be taught anything they want to know.
So has the kumiko industry changed quite a bit when you compare the present day to how it used to be?
Yes. Back then, we had to make our own tools. You start out making a saw and chisel, then make a plane. You work out by yourself what kind of angle you want it to have. After that, you make your toolbox. Once you had your box of tools, back then, you could go to work anywhere. I guess they call that freelancing these days. (laughs) There were plenty of kumiko workshops back then. If you were good at your job, you could move around and make a living anywhere.
Did you go independent as a circumstance of the times?
Well, back then there was plenty of work. I hired some people and we needed some machines, so I bought them on a monthly installment plan. It was really hard at first. But we managed to get through the tough times and hire more people. We were busier then than we are now, but everyone worked really hard and that was what helped us get through it.
You must have been really busy back then.
Well, the actual demand for kumiko was different back then. Back in the 1970s in Japan it was a status symbol to have kumiko built into your home. Everyone wanted to use it. Now, it’s a completely different era. Back then, we’d finish making it at 11pm at night, and we’d load it into a waiting truck which would drive to Kyushu for a morning delivery. Now, most homes are western style, and homes with even one Japanese-style room are decreasing. There are no longer any ranma transoms or shoin-shoji panels where kumiko would go in the new style of homes.
Your story really reflects what happened during Japan’s postwar economic growth.
Back in the old days, people had a sort of “keeping up with the Joneses” attitude. If one neighbor put good kumiko in his transoms, then the guy next door would have to put even better ones in his. There was a one-upmanship that would go on. If you ask me it was a vanity thing, really.
Where do you see the future of Kanuma kumiko heading?
I don’t know what the future holds. (laughs) But the style of homes in China, Taiwan, and Korea are similar to those in Japan, so I’m thinking maybe we could sell our product over there. My three sons say they’ll take over the business for me, so I’m thinking of having them develop some kumiko that can be used in western-style rooms. Tradition is important, but if you’re too stubborn and try to keep building something that people don’t need anymore, there’s no point. (laughs)
Yoshiwara Mokugei
Nigamido-machi 51-1, Kanuma City, Tochigi
Yoshiwara Koji
Born in Nikko, Tochigi. President of Yoshiwara Kogei
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PingMag MAKE is the sister site to PingMag. We use an interview format to put the spotlight on a wide range of people active in rural areas. We document the voices of these unknown heroes and broadcast them to the world. It’s the Japan-based magazine about people and making things, coming out once a week. We’re passing on the passion, ideas, skills, and life stories of people who are building today and exploring tomorrow: craftsmen, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. Stay tuned!
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I ve never seen this kind of product before. It’s amaging!
Posted by: Anonymous on May 30th, 2008 at 2:12 am
amazing, similar things was very popular in Poland in 60’s and 70’s
Posted by: Tomek on June 1st, 2008 at 7:47 am
This is incredible workmanship and design.
Outstanding!
Lee
Posted by: Lee Jesberger on June 15th, 2008 at 12:17 am
i really like the black and white photos that you have with these articles. really really nice. You could publish a yearly book/magazine with all the years interviews in it. that would be nice.
Posted by: graham cross on June 16th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Beautiful. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Thank you.
Fawn
Posted by: Fawn Chang on June 30th, 2008 at 6:39 am
great interview, again!
Posted by: Eva on December 3rd, 2008 at 8:11 am