Dialogue - Masami Tokuda [Part 2] -

The intersection of manufacturing and society.

If there is a dividing line between "occupation" and "race," then woodworker Masami Tokuda falls into the latter category.

"Just as the human heart doesn't beat consciously, perhaps things aren't made with the intention of creating something."

I spend my days simply working with my hands, creating things without worrying about the needs of society or the opinions of those around me.

Where does the driving force behind his actions come from? It is the determination to live life to the fullest.

Masami Tokuda: Based in Kagoshima Prefecture, he uses wood to create small items and furniture, including vessels. He captures phenomena through sound, and projects the products that are born by chance in nature into his works. Sometimes using rotten wood, his works, given expression with rust lacquer, are the very past time that the wood lived through, and proof that it has been alive. He moves his hands without any intention, simply listening to the faint sounds.

Listen to the sounds

There are many machines and tools inside the studio, and the sounds of blades being sharpened, wood files being scraped, and the birds and insects outside can be heard echoing throughout the space.

Good tools don't require much force

It is important that the blade can be sharpened when pulled, rather than how it is sharpened. Japanese-made blades are often prepared, but they do not require much force when pulled. "The less skilled you are, the better the tools you need to use." This idea applies not only to tools, but also to choosing surfboards and musical instruments.

Make tea once a day

He was interested in the image of samurai practicing tea ceremony in movies and in the profound depth of the art, and was attracted to the beauty of Japanese subtraction rather than the beauty of Western addition, and began to seriously study tea ceremony. "In the past, men enjoyed tea ceremony, so I would like more men to be interested in it." A handmade tea room is currently being constructed in the gallery space.

Values learned from the Japanese culture of "michi"

"In the tea ceremony, you first learn the form, and then you understand why it's the way it is. I'm attracted to things that have the word 'way' in them, like the tea ceremony, because they contain the Japanese aesthetic sense and spirit." While aiming to be "between unsophisticated and elegant," Tokuda is currently interested in flower arrangement.

Towards the ideal form of the tree

This vessel features a striking large chip.

Tokuda's creations begin with observing the grain of wood.

“I don’t just choose the best grain of wood. If I chose only the best parts, I would end up with a lot of unnecessary parts. So what do I do with the unnecessary parts? I throw them away. But they’re all part of life, so I decide the shape and dye according to how I want the wood to look.”

Beauty in practicality

Tokuda says he doesn't want to carve or process wood just to make it look better.

"'Yonobi' was created by a group of nameless artists. I am attracted to the fact that things that are not made to look beautiful, but are made as tools for everyday use, can be beautiful."

By using a plane to create a flat surface, water is less likely to seep in when the product is in use; aesthetic sense is incorporated into every detail, along with functional reasons.

Look at the ground you stand on and look at the sky

I spend my days at home and in my studio, and when there are waves I go to the beach to enjoy surfing.

It doesn't seem like he's seeking stimulation from some distant world, but rather that he is simply pursuing the depth of what he needs to do.

Tokuda's gaze is focused on the spirituality and sensibilities of his predecessors.

"I imagine that people in the past were busy just making a living, doing things like cooking and doing laundry, and had few opportunities to compare themselves to others. I think that in the things they had to do in that kind of lifestyle, nameless craftsmen found small happiness and created things. I don't know how happy they were, but I think they were happy enough. In other words, they lived between the ground they stood on and the heavens. I would like to continue creating works, focusing on what I love, without comparing myself to others."

This exhibition will feature over 150 impressive pieces of pottery and accessories. We hope you will experience the scenery that can only be found here.

After this conversation, if you pick up your smartphone, you will unconsciously see what is going on around you, so it may be difficult to live without making comparisons. However, from Tokuda's journey so far, we have come to realize that the way to live a slightly richer life is to "live your life to the fullest." The exhibition will run until Sunday, June 27th. For those who are unable to come due to distance, the works are also available online , so please take this opportunity to see them.
[Interview article Part 1]

Dialogue - Masami Tokuda [Part 1] -

Masami Tokuda has an atelier in Kagoshima Prefecture and creates things using wood.

Interviewer and writer: Yoshiaki Ono

[Exhibition Information]

Masami Tokuda Exhibition Schedule
Saturday, June 19, 2021 – Sunday, June 27, 2021
No holidays during the period. Artist in the gallery day 19th (Sat)
time
13:00－18:00

記事一覧

Dialogue - Masami Tokuda [Part 2] -

Towards the ideal form of the tree

Beauty in practicality

Look at the ground you stand on and look at the sky

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