We visited Katsutaka Zushi in Ojiro. Now he is making furniture by himself. He used to live in Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa. He quitted his job as a salary man to live in the countryside and moved to Ojiro ten years ago. His family consists of 4 people. They live in a good log house that he designed and built by himself. The house is very cozy and restful. When we got into the house, the first object which caught our eyes was a very unique chair with a back of more than 2 meters. We have never seen such a design before. Other than the chair, there are lots of unique furniture, such as a cupboard, table, couch, easel. Each furniture has its original humor and looks easy to use. We sat in his hand-made chair and interviewed him. He studied at a job training school for one year. After that, we started this business. Ojirow is suitable for working and living.
Interview 1
"How do you get the materials for furniture? What kind of timber do you use?"
"I go to a special timber dealer. The timbers I use are all domestic products. They are a kind of oak, Tamo, Sen, Japanese Chestnut and Keyaki. I am using "hard wood" so that it doesn't take scratches."
"Do you make any other things except wooden furniture?"
"I make lamps and cupboards using stained glass. Also, I make log cabins. They didn't have big damage when Kobe had a big earthquake. In addition, log cabins are warm in winter and cool in summer. Please contact us for the information of log cabin and wooden furniture."
A log cabin is comfortable to live, as well as warm and restful.
"Did you come up a design idea quickly?"
"In some cases, an idea flashes on my mind. When it comes naturally, I can make a good model. When I think over and over, it is not good."
"Each model differs in design. The design depends on what I feel at the time of thinking. But some customers specify the color, shape and size."
"When do you feel happy in this job?"
"It is the happiest time when I think about the design. I am also happy when I am making furniture and I saw my customer taking care of the furniture. It is fun to make something, but it is also hard for me."
We thought that even for a good craftsman, it is hard to make something. Most of his customers buy his works at his private exhibition. He has some customers who know the information from his friends and see his furniture in magazines. He also makes furniture to order according to customer's requirements for size and color.
Interview 2
"Please tell me about your private exhibition."
"I held my private exhibition in Mishima three times after I moved to Osori. I exhibited 15 works. When I visited my customer who had bought my furniture, I saw it more beautiful and nicer. Wooden furniture becomes nicer as we use it."
"Is a pure wooden model different from a model made with synthesized materials?"
"Yes, it is. When the furniture uses synthesized materials, adhesive of the furniture sometimes is peeled off after several years. But, when the wooden furniture has a crack, it can be replaced. In Europe, people take care of good furniture to use it for a long time. Hand-made furniture has a mind of people who make it and it has warmth."
We think that it is really true. Every work that Zushi-san made has a charm and we feel its warmth. As for the finish, he tried to coat wooden furniture so that it can be seen naturally. He uses lacquer which absorbs wet air and fixes on the wood. By knowing his attention to such a small thing, we can see that he is thorough in his work. In the past, there were lots of natural forests in this area. However, nowadays, most forests are artificial. He told us that we shouldn't think about only living in urban area just because we were influenced by mass-media such as TV, and you should think about living in country-side by yourself. As he told, we think that we have been influenced by the information only from urban areas. We think that we should revisit the place where we live and what we think by ourselves.
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