Some observations about Japanese craftsmanship
I’m currently in Japan with SWMBO where we attended our niece’s wedding. I don’t watch much TV, but last night there was a program on NHK (I think), which is the Japanese equivalent of the ABC in Australia, that I found very interesting, and relevant to many of the problems that woodworkers face in Australia, and probably in most places around the world.
The hour-long program featured a sukiya-daiku. Sukiya is a Japanese tea-ceremony pavilion, and the sukiya-daiku (sukiya carpenter) specialises in building these pavilions. Along with the miya-daiku (temple carpenters), these shokunin form the pinnacle of carpentry in Japan.
The program and the shokunin’s work itself was fascinating, but beyond that, the program stood in stark contrast to anything that our TV stations attempt. I may be wrong, but I’ve never seen a program in Australia that presents the theme of craftsmanship in this way. Most of the comparable shows seem to be DIY efforts where everything and anything can be fixed with either a bigger nail, a bigger hammer, or both.
I think it’s because of the perception this generates that people in Australia seem to want craftsmanship quality, but are not prepared to pay a fair amount for it. There are no misconceptions about this in Japan — thanks to TV programs such as this, people here seem to have a much greater understanding of what it means to be a shokunin, and know that the craftsmanship they offer is not cheap. If they want IKEA prices, they go to IKEA. This applies not just to woodworking, but to all the other crafts as well here.
It’s a shame that some of our TV program producers can’t see past the current crop of confrontational reality rubbish, and find some true craftsmen (and women) and feature their work, without trying to find an angle. I know we have world-class craftsmen here so it shouldn’t be that hard to find them. Then, perhaps and hopefully, people would develop a better understanding of what is quality, what’s not, and the true worth of that quality.
I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen, though.
Just some idle ramblings before I leave to catch my flight back to Australia.
Des