A job to make metal fittings for Sendai tansu

In our journey, we have already visited the Sendai tansu shop, so please look at the article about Sendai tansu, on its description and history. Traditional Sendai tansu has a set size of 120 centimeters in width and 90 centimeters in height.
That size in not huge, and not so small. You can reach both corners if you stretch your hands, and the height is just about your waist. It is a chest of drawers of useful size, an everyday item.

However, what is so magnificent about Sendai tansu is its gorgeous decorations. Normal tansu have metal handles and metal fittings to fortify the corners. Sendai tansu which were used by samurai, on the other hand, have gorgeous hand embossed metal fittings. They are very eye-catching.
We were able to interview Eikichi Yaegashi of Yaegashi Sendai Tansu Metal Fitting Workshop, who makes these metal fittings.

1300 variations of chisels alone

Yaegashi Sendai Tansu Metal Workshop is an establishment with a history. Yaegashi is the fourth generation, and from his grandfather’s time, the Yaegashi family was devoted to making metal fitting. Sendai tansu are made by division labor, and the joiner, the lacquerer and the blacksmith work separately. So, as a blacksmith, Yaegashi makes metal fittings only.
There are motifs such as dragons, lions and peony, engraved on metal plates. Iron is mostly used but he also uses copper, silver and brass. The metal plates are bulged by beating from the back, then the motifs are engraved on the front side. The sound of the chisels rings rhythmically. While chiseling, he changes chisels many times.
”I didn’t know that there were so many kinds of chisels.”
”There are about 1300 variety. If I include the ones for making wholes, then more.”
In order to engrave a more detailed and dynamic motifs, the skills must be supported by good tools. What’s more the tools are handmade. ”A craftsman must have skills, of course, but what he needs more is good tools.” said Yaegashi.

Making original designs.

There are traditional motifs of the metal fittings of Sendai tansu, such as dragons and lions. Yaegashi often make metal fittings of these traditional designs, but sometimes he draws up his original designs.
”I enjoy it most when I can decide the designs myself.” said Yaegashi. Sometimes customers come to him with a request as to the motif. ”I never refuse any motifs. I am a craftsman, it will be humiliating to say I can’t do it. When I get an order, I really enjoy designing the whole tansu.”
He pursues the traditional motifs thoroughly, and at the same time makes original designs of his own. The requests of customers have changed over the years, due to the change of ways of living., he says. He showed us a set of metal fittings used for Sendai tansu. Each piece was shining brightly, true masterpieces with elegant decorations.

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The Beauty of the Sword Guard ”tsuba”

When we visited Kiminori Okumura, he showed us the sword guard or ”tsuba”.
“Look at this. It’s simply fancy. The sword guard is designed to catch the eye when you thrust the sword forward. Where and how the designs are placed is all calculated. The design itself is just fabulous. Imagine if the surface is uniform, it would just be quite dull. It is designed so you can enjoy the feel, the texture and color of the metal.”
Okumura is a silversmith artisan. He graduated from the Musashino University of Art in 1975 and became an artist. He has won many awards, such as the Minister of Education Award for Japan Traditional Arts Crafts Exhibition in 1995.

Expressions that can only be achieved with metal

In 2012, Okumura exhibited his work ”Tetsujizou Gankobako” named “Hanare” at the East Japan Traditional Arts Crafts Exhibition. It surprised Nakata because “It doesn’t look at like metal!” and looks more like a lacquered wooden box. The texture of metal is apparent when you touch it. Many of Okumura’s pieces have delicate designs but the texture remains. The rust is left on the material in order to achieve this delicate texture.
“There aren’t many types of metal to begin with, but you can expand the realm of expression by combining different techniques, and that makes it truly intriguing.” Okumura nodded in agreement to Nakata’s comment.
When restoring cultural assets, you can sense how people in the past related to metal. There is a lot to be learned from the past, and Okumura tries to integrate what he finds interesting or useful in his work.

Playing with the handle of the sword

“I’d like to have you make a pendant.”
“I’m not very good at designing,” Nakata commented. But after giving it some thought, he wrote the letter “travel”. “I’ll go with this, since I’m traveling all the time these days.”
He starts shaping the silver metal for the pendant. A fret saw is used but it turns out to be quite difficult to handle. Nakata managed to cut out a round shape. The next step was to engrave the letter. With instruction from Okumura, a chisel is used.
“The lines are crooked. It’s really difficult.”
“That’s fine. You’re still on the road, and it will convey how you’ve been traveling.” Okumura encouraged Nakata.
“I’ve never been good at making things.” Nakata says. Mr Okumura shared a story with us.
“When I was in middle school, I used to make sword handles with my best friend. We would mold it from a real sword, and used to wrap lead around it to make a design around the handle. I remember one time we were stopped by a policeman when we were carrying it across our backs,” He laughs as he recalls the day.
The pendant top was ready. Okumura helped us finish it up and a one and only “Traveling” pendant top was accomplished.

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Mastering a skill in one generation

At 15, Hoseki Okuyama left his home in Shinjo, Yamagata to head for Tokyo. It has been around 60 years since then. He has committed himself to the world of silversmith, and in 1995 was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Treasure.
”To be honest, I first came to Tokyo because I was interested in the entertainment business. But I had to make a living. So, I decided to become an apprentice to a silverware artisan.”
He wanted to quit his job at 20, but the proverb, ”mastering a skill takes one generation” came to mind. He realized then that he had to use the rest of his life to master the skills he had learned. He prospered as a craftsman for dozens of years, but at 40, he studied under Mitsuteru Tanaka to become an artist. ”How can a person who has only graduated middle school make a note in history? I figured, the only way was to leave behind his creations.” He started off rather late as an artist, but there is no question his years of experience in creating practical objects provided the foundation for Hoseki Okuyama, the artist.

Expressing the abundance of nature

The 2 techniques Okuyama excels in are ”kiribame” and ”uchikomi” methods of hammering a design onto metal and then fitting metal parts into the design.
With ”kiribame”, you copy a blueprint of the design onto a thinly pressed gold copper sheet. The design is cut out with a jigsaw, and holes are made in the same places on the vessel for it to fit. After fixing the design onto the vessel, it is heated to make it stick together, and then hammered. With the ”uchikomi” method, the design is bonded onto the surface of the vessel, then pounded to make indentations.
”Kiribame” is well suited for larger patterns, while ”uchikomi” is more suitable for delicate designs.
The 2 techniques are used in Mr Okuyama’s work to express abundant designs of nature. It is hard to believe that these metal drawings with sensitive details are created by hammering. The designs are of delicate branches, leaves, and bold, powerful flowers. The entire process is difficult beyond imagination. Nakata tried hammering a picture of a tree onto a postcard-size silver sheet, but he found that it required patience and was very time consuming.
The large work of art that was donated to Ise Shrine had more than 12,000 cherry blossom petals. The ”uchikomi” hammering method was used to hammer each and every petal on the design.
Okuyama’s persistent effort brings out the beauty of nature in his work.

Effort Pays off

Okuyama says that he has never been satisfied with any of his work.
”I’ve found some of my pieces to be acceptable,” he laughed and continued. ”During the process, it’s like looking at your own child. You start to notice the flaws. I tend to pick out the spots where I had difficulty. So, I have never been completely satisfied with any of my work.”
During our conversation, we noticed a lot of ”shodo” works. They were all written by Okuyama. He started calligraphy 16 years ago. He talked about how a teacher told him that he should practice on his own, because learning the art would just be a copy of the teacher. One time he wrote the word, ”Fujisan”. There was a reason for this.
”I wrote the word mountain, to remind me of the soul and the Japanese spirit. It was to remind me that I needed to continue my efforts even after being recognized for my work. My soul and Japanese spirit were united, enabling me to be selected as a Living National Treasure.”
He continues to tirelessly put effort in creating his work, even after he was designated Important Intangible National Treasure holder. ”I feel most calm when I am in my studio listening to the radio,” Okuyama laughed.
Nakata’s ”uchikomi” hammered work turned out beautifully with help from Okuyama.

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Drawing patterns by engraving metal

”I’m not exaggerating when I say that the ”katana” encompasses all aspects of ”kogei”.” commented Important Cultural Asset holder Morihito Katsura. He told us that all forms of ”kogei” other than ceramics and porcelain are embodied in the ”katana”. Of course, that includes chasing.
Chasing is the art of engraving metal to create a decoration. It is a skill with a long history, and has been found in ruins from the Tumulus period. In Japan, it has been used in abundance to decorate artworks related to Buddhism, and during the Muromachi period, it developed as decorations on swords and suits of armor.
”During the war, warlords assigned land to reward his followers. But during Edo period, in times of peace, elaborately adorned swords and suits of armor were given instead. Embellished sword and armor were in great demand, especially among feudal lords with many followers.” In modern times, chasing was used to decorate utensils and ”obi-dome” in addition to battle gear.

Creating 3 dimensional designs

Looking at Katsura’s work, Nakata commented, ”It not only involves skill, but the design is very stylish!” ”Well, I put a lot of thought into the design as well,” Katsura answered. He creates various objects including vases, incense burners, and ”obidome” shaped like a minnow in 3-dimension.
”People judge our pieces based on whether or not they like it. Technique and skill come next. So it’s important to place priority on design.”
Design is made possible by technique. A feature of Katsura’s work is that they are 3-dimensional. It is a rare skill very few possess in Japan. In addition, Katsura is said to be the only one who can create the ”height”. A metal alloy called ”shibuichi,” which combines silver and bronze, is very hard, lacks ductility, melts easily with heat. This makes it extremely difficult to stretch to give it height.

Chasing in its entirety

Nakata had the opportunity to try engraving a relief. This ended up being quite difficult. It was hard to engrave the plum blossom design, requiring a lot of concentration, but he also needed to adjust how hard he hit the chisel to adjust the depth. Watching Nakata struggle, Katsura gave him words of encouragement ”Yes, I think you’re getting the hang of it. That’s it.”
Katsura’s work have a lot to do with inlay casting and hammering, requiring a lot of skill.
”There is a method called ”iroage” where you put metal into chemical agents, and the metal turns into its original color as a result of the chemical reaction. There are about 7 different colors of metal. In the west, metals do not have this much variation in color. ”
In addition to the variety of metals in Japan, the range of expression is expanded by pasting silver foil on the surface of the vase, or shaving a part off and adding an inlay with another kind of metal.
”There is a limit to what you can achieve with a single technique. Chasing or metal engraving is a total of all the different techniques.” Katsura said in conclusion.
Katsura continues with his challenge in pursuit of a new expression.

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Doing Things Others Do Not Want to

Toshichika Taguchi was designated Important Intangible Cultural Asset holder in the field of silversmith in 2006. The profession has run in the family from his grandfather’s generation and he is the 3rd generation. He is the first to create works for display in exhibitions. Until his father’s generation, they had mainly created items such as kettles and teapots used for tea ceremony, and utensils related to ”sake” such as ”sake” cups and bottles for ”sake”.
”I just wanted to indulge in what I wanted to do. Skill-wise, there is no difference to what my father and my grandfather was capable of, creating tableware for everyday use. It isn’t all that difficult. I wanted to do something others did not want to.”
That meant working with ”hard” material. Taguchi chose to work with hard materials, to express beauty in metal.

The Beauty of Metalwork

The beauty that can be expressed with metalwork is the ”hammer prints”. Taguchi also commented, ”Works that are created by a silversmith has different expressions, depending on how light is reflected. Therefore they are beautiful even without any designs.”
Taguchi uses material called ”Shibuichi (1/4)”. It is a metal alloy unique to Japan, with a 3 to 1 ratio of copper to silver. This is shrank and expanded to shape, using techniques called ”shibori” and ”nobashi”. First, the metal is hammered from the center. It takes time until for the shape to change.
Nakata gave it a try, but it seemed barely different even after hammering the entire sheet. That is how much patience and endurance is required. Tireless patience and endurance results in the ”hammered beauty” Taguchi mentioned. Taguchi referred to it as having no design, but the hammer prints are the silversmith’s ”design”.

Interesting to see Works ”Develop”

Once the metal begins to take shape, from here, it can be shaped into the desired form. Sometimes some parts are left thick, ”to show power”.
Nakata asked, ”Do you calculate the perfect balance before you start?” Taguchi replied, ”I have a blurry vision before I start. But I often change the style during the process. I think I tend to make much greater changes than most.”
”I enjoy how the pieces develop as I go.” He said that even when he tries to do something exactly the same, it always turns out different.
”I put a lot of thought into it because I want to create a good piece. I take time to think about different aspects, work carefully. But it hardly turns out the way I want it to. Then I go on to the next work. I try to repeat the process, learning from previous experience. But it always turns out different. The time it takes is different as well. That is how my works develop. I don’t know if there is a limit to its development. That makes it all the more enjoyable.”
The sophisticated technique gives birth to ”coincidence”. When an expression appears on the work that is beyond his own imagination, that is when another piece of work by Taguchi is born.

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“Tenmyo imono”, Metal-casting with 1000 Year History

For many years, Sano in Tochigi Prefecture has been known as the home of cast metal products. The history goes back more than 1000 years. It is believed that casting in Sano in the began in mid-Heian period (901 to 1068) when Hijiwara-no Hidesato who became Lord of Karasawa Castle in Sano brought some founders with him from Hikishou-cho, Tanan-gun in Kawachi country (presently Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture). Ever since, cast products ranging from daily supply to flower vase used in Buddhist altars were manufactured in Sano, became widely known and appreciated as ”Tenmyo imono (metal cast products)”. It is it said that Senno Rikyu, founder of tea ceremonies was an admirer of Tenmyo imono tea kettles. We visited Tadao Shoda, a descendant of the founder Mataemon Fujiwara Mitsukuni Shoda who immigrated to Sano in the mid Heian Period. He is an artist who inherited the long history of Tenmyo imono.

Skills inherited from Ancestors

Shoda has won numerous awards, and is acknowledged both in Japan and overseas, but he says, ”I didn’t think I would enter the world of metal casting”. Hard to imagine from his background, being a descendant of founders going back as far as mid Heian Period, Toda spent some years as a business person after graduation before becoming a founder. Even so, he looks back and comments ”I would not be here if it weren’t for my ancestors”. When Toda felt uncomfortable working in an office as a business person, he thought of his father who also did not choose to be a founder at first but studied to become an author. Like his father, Toda later choose to be a founder and trained under his father.

”Our job cannot begin without the wisdom of our ancestors. For example, we use straw ash to accumulate and remove impurities from metal melted for casting. Why? Straw ash is the best. Our ancestors created this technique on their own, and we use the technique in this modern age. There are many like that in this job”. Many techniques pioneered by Shoda’s ancestors are incorporated even when creating modern art work with modern ideas.

Polished to Shine

Cast-metal objects may well known for their brownish color such as tea kettles used in tea ceremonies, but Shoda is a particular about creating a silver color called ”oborogin” which is brought out by a balance of materials. It is not simply a glittering silver, but a color with a kind of heavy glow. Shoda’s artworks are made from copper alloy, and a ratio of 3 part copper and 1 part sliver brings out the silver tone with a heavy glow. He has pursued ”oborogin” for over 30 years. As a result, Toda has created beautiful and sublime flower vases and incense burners unique to himself.

In order to bring out this color, finished cast-metal objects must be polished with sandpaper. This process is one which determine the color of the artwork, and so it requires most effort both mentally and physically. Everything must be polished out with utmost care to bring out Shoda’s color. Nakata experienced this process, and found it quite difficult. Polishing must be done attentively and with patience to achieve the unique silver tone.

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Graceful and dynamic lines

Metal work artist Masami Ichikawa earns high acclaim for his delicate yet dynamic design. When we visited his workshop, his art pieces were displayed on the table. ”Cool!” Nakata exclaimed. Graceful yet dynamic lines of the piece were impressive. Ichikawa mainly uses damascening technique. This technique is so elaborate that it takes a whole year to finish just the three pieces he was readying for an exhibition.

Please let me be your apprentice!

“How did you start on this path?” “I first started with an apprenticeship of mold casting which was more of industrial metal work but I wanted to create things of my own design. I went to see exhibitions and encountered pieces by Ikkoku Kashima who was a Living National Treasure and immediately went to ask him to make me his apprentice,” he said shyly. “What was his reaction?” asked Nakata. “He was surprised of course. I was declined for lack of work space and he told me to come back when he had sufficient space. But I visited him again the following month.” “And then what did he say?” “I asked him again to let me study under him for three years and he reluctantly agreed. I stayed with him for ten years.” The techniques learned during this apprenticeship became the foundation of everything he is today. He continued creative activity, received many awards and now he is one of Japan’s leading artists.

Beauty brought on by elaborate work.

We moved on to his workshop to see his production method. ”The blade must be tapped lightly so that it does not go in too deeply,” says Ichikawa as he starts to work the carving knife and hammer on the metal surface. He taps the knife ever so lightly, as though he is not applying any strength at all. Nakata gives it a try, ”Oh, no! I scratched the metal,” says Nakata as he struggles through the process. ”Lightly, more like dropping rather than tapping,” Nakata continues to make very small markings on the metal. At the end of the tour Nakata says, ”Traditional crafts…sounds…” Ichikawa continues ”sounds very serious?.” ”I agree. There are a lot of cool things and some pieces match nicely with western interior. I would like to collect what interests me, share them with many people and surprise them in a good way. These people in turn may discover interesting aspects of traditional craftwork. Ichikawa answers happily, ”Please continue to do so.” ”These are very stylish. If you place the suits from playing cards in a row like this,” says Nakata. ” ”This is cool,” answers Ichikawa. ”But the work would be very elaborate, your arm would be…,” laughs Nakata. The techniques of metal work changes expression with each artist. Nakata was fortunate in discovering another attractive artwork.

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Having coffee with copperware

There are two cups of iced coffee in front of Nakata. One is a glass cup, the other is copperware. Nakata tastes them both to compare. “Coffee in copperware tastes less bitter,” says Nakata. “Yes, copperware makes the coffee more mellow. It is affected by copper ion. Not just coffee but ’sake’ and water tastes softer, too,” explained Motoyuki Tamagawa. “The coffee in copperware feels colder.” “That is also because of the copper.” “Can you make wine glasses too?” “Unfortunately, it is not a good fit with wine. The wine loses its fragrance.” Nakata, who likes both “sake” and wine looked disappointed.

Striking and compressing a sheet of copper

”Tsuiki” copperware has long been a local industry in Tsubame-city. Currently, this region is the only producer of ”tsuiki” copperware in Japan. We interviewed Motoyuki Tamagawa, the seventh generation owner of Gyokusendo which have been in business for 200 years in this area. The technique is literally striking copper with a hammer. Surprisingly, most of the pieces are made from a single sheet of copper. The copper sheet is placed on a protruded piece of iron called ”torikuchi” attached to the work table. Tamagawa carefully strikes the copper and it gradually changes shape. He calls this process, ”striking and compressing” but it is hard for Nakata to visualize this. ”I would understand if it is striking and expanding,” Nakata cocks his head, puzzled. Moving on to the workshop, today Nakata will try making a large ”sake” cup. Tatsushi Tamagawa, the instructor for the day strikes a sheet of copper. ”Okay, you try Nakata-san ,” says Tamagawa as he hands Nakata the hammer and the sheet of copper. Nakata tries to imitate Tamagawa and struck the copper but it is more difficult than he expected. Nakata grew quieter and he almost shouted, ”It is much easier to bend it by hand when we heated this thing” However, he regained composure and continued to work as instructed and moved on to the next process.

Alluring deep colors

He inserted the “sake” cup into the furnace, melted the tin and applied the film-like tin to the cup. Last, he dipped the cup into liquid potassium sulfide, artificially rusting it to fasten the color. You can change the color by polishing it but Nakata chose to keep the bluish black glimmer acquired at this stage. “It’s so difficult when you actually try it, ” says Nakata. He seemed to be filled with deep emotion as he holds the completed cup. The greatest appeal of “Tsuiki” copperware is the beautiful texture added in the final process. One sighs at the beauty of deep coloring and its soft glimmer. Craftsmen’s skills passed on for generations make it possible for such beautiful vessel to be made from a single sheet of copper.

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Making of Temple Bells

The company name ”Manufacturing” means it manufactures something. That something is “Bonsho” or temple bells. Yes, those bells in Buddhist temples that that ring in a low tone. Oigo Manufacturing has a high reputation of creating famous high-quality ”bell masterpieces”. The company was founded during the middle of Edo period, and has been in operation for nearly 300 years.

Tones that Resonate to the Japanese Soul

The list of their clients are famous temples such as Nishi Honganji, Ikegami Honmonji, Naritasan Shinshoji, Sanju sangendo, etc. One of the prominent bells created is the Bell of Peace in Hiroshima. It was created by the Living National Treasure, Masahiko Katori of ”Oigo Manufacturing”. Masahiko Katori stations himself in the Oigo Manufacturing workshop and has created countless masterpieces. Temple bells domestically manufactured since the beginning of Asuka period has not changed in shape since Edo period. During the Edo period, the shape and unique timber tone had been established. Motoi of Oigo Manufacturing says, ”Our strongest feature is the long lingering undulation of sound. This is the sound the Japanese have pursued.” We feel calm and peaceful when we hear the low vibration of temple bells. Perhaps the bell in your neighborhood temple may be made by ”Oigo Manufacturing”.

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Returning to his birthplace to become an engraving artist

One technique of engraving is “zogan”. ”Zo” means molding and ”gan” refers to inlay. First, the design is molded, and then another is inlaid. This is “zogan” art.
Mamoru Nakagawa shared with us an episode of how he started as an engraving artist. He graduated from Kanazawa College of Art and had been employed working as a product designer when one day he received notice from home saying his mother was seriously ill and he needed to fly back home to Kanazawa immediately.

A breath of fresh air

He was somewhat reluctant to return since he was doing well as a designer. But he found out that they were looking for instructors in traditional crafts at Ishikawa Kogyo Experiment Site, and made a decision to return in hopes that his knowledge of design would be useful.
While helping on the family farm, he worked at the Kyogo Experiment station where he met engraver Kaishu Takahashi. He eventually apprenticed with Takahashi after observing and assisting with his work, which inspired him to work with ”zogan”.

While learning traditional ”zogan” skills from Takahashi, he also experimented with different skills, and began using different metals to bring out different colors. This added a new twist to ”Kaga zogan”.

Relaying the technique to the next generation

Nakata tried the ”zogan” technique for the first time. On a bowl made of metal alloy, a handmade chisel is used to engrave lines using a hammer. Nakagawa explained that different chisels were used to create lines of different width, and each chisel was made by Nakagawa himself. It was an extremely difficult task, as the chiseling had to be done little by little and it was very difficult to control.
”Zogan” works require high processing skills, only possible by a person who understands the characteristics of metal. Mamoru Nakagawa was designated Living National Treasure in 2004 and currently teaches at the Kanazawa College of Art as well as instructing at the Kanazawa Utatsu Kogei Kobo to nurture the next generation of artisans.

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