~Woodworking born in snowy Niigata
Oguni Town in Nagaoka City, located in the south-central part of Niigata Prefecture, has abundant natural forests and deep snow in winter. Although the scenery is beautiful in all four seasons, the town is buried in snow until early spring, making it impossible to make a living unless the town’s residents are diligent in snow removal.
Mr. Tomii spent his childhood in Ojiya City, also in Niigata Prefecture, and studied abroad at a high school in Oregon, U.S.A., when he was a student at a technical college. In that land of abundant nature, he came into contact with a lifestyle that lived with trees. After attending a university in Japan and working on surface physics research at a graduate school, he was lured by the allure of wood into the world of woodworking.
He learned basic woodworking techniques at a workshop in Gifu Prefecture that trains woodworkers, and in 2008 he set up his own business in Kyoto. Then, in 2015, he put down roots in this snowy town. His reason for returning to his hometown of Niigata is simple. I want to make my work where there is snow.
~Unraveling the roots of his work
Tomii’s works are mainly tableware for daily use, such as plates and stacked boxes. The friendly and gentle expression of wood and the elegant and delicate appearance of his work have won him many fans. The reason for making his tableware is also simple.
Mr. Tomii has always loved to eat. When he lived alone as a student, he got hooked on cooking and began collecting cooking utensils for professional cooks. Eventually, he became particular about the dishes on which he served his food, and began collecting pottery made by artists. He likes the smooth surfaces of Scandinavian pottery, as well as heavy earthenware. He also likes wooden works from long ago, and he is a true lover of tableware, he says.
Tomii says that his interest in making things naturally led him to pottery making. The concept that forms the basis of his work is “to make things that become beautiful through continuous use” and “to make things that I want to use. I think the ideal relationship between the three elements of ‘material,’ ‘artist,’ and ‘user’ comes closer together as the user continues to use the vessel, and then they are condensed into a single piece, and that is beauty. I think that is beauty. When working with his hands, he is conscious of the “beautiful changes over time” that occur with daily use.
～The more you use it, the more it tastes good. Wooden vessels that blend in with everyday life.
Flat plates are especially popular among his works. They are easy to use and easy to serve food on. He often uses chestnut wood to make his dishes, which have a beautiful harmony of wood and lacquer. Considering actual use in daily life, plain wood has more flavor and charm when used. He likes the moderate feeling of chestnut wood. Indeed, chestnut wood is said to be popular among forest insects. He often finds insect bites on the wood, and he uses them as a part of the flavor of his works.
On the other hand, lacquer on the surface of a vessel has a characteristic that it does not change easily. The lacquer on the surface of the vessel can be colored to accentuate the tabletop. Wood itself is very beautiful,” he says. Of course, you can also enjoy playing with colors with colored lacquerware. I would like to convey the charm of such wooden vessels to people. I want to convey that kind of charm to people.
～I want to master beauty rather than efficiency.
At first glance, Mr. Tomii’s workshop looks like a furniture workshop. Mr. Tomii smiles, saying that it is a remnant of the time when he learned the basics of woodworking. Every piece is carefully made by hand. Instead of using a machine to make a large number of products at one time, he devotes himself to the steady, physical creation of his pieces and cherishes the products that result. This is Tomii’s way. He says, “If you adopt an efficient method, you may be able to finish your work quickly and beautifully, but I don’t think you should seek efficiency or beauty when you are doing this kind of work. Even if it takes longer, if I want the joy and happiness of making something, I’ll take that.”
～Individuality born of beauty guided by theory
Mr. Tomii’s creations have a unique worldview. When I was in graduate school, I was a physics major who studied the surfaces of materials. The beauty of the microscopic world he saw through a microscope at the time was indescribable. In my atelier, using a carving knife, I sometimes think about such a microscopic world, the arrangement of atoms, diversity, and various ideological worlds while carving detailed patterns on stacked boxes all day long. Perhaps it is in the process of immersing oneself in these worlds that the “individuality” that attracts people, which we call authorship, resides in the work.
Mr. Tomii aims to create products that become more beautiful when they are used with love and care. The touch of wood, the modesty that accompanies daily life, and the delicate and gentle appearance. We hope you will take a look and feel the splendor of his works, which are born from the rich natural environment and his unique world of contemplation.
