Interviews

cobcob: Ballpoint Pens from Fragrant Yoshino Cedar Burls

We visited forester Mr. Morimoto in Sakurai, Nara, who turns rare, fragrant burls of Yoshino cedar into handmade ballpoint pens under the name cobcob.

MokuNeji: Where Wood Turning Meets Precision Engineering

We visited Taniteru Kogei in Yamanaka, Ishikawa, the wood turners behind MokuNeji, who brought machine precision to a traditional craft to cut perfect wooden screw threads.

Shitsurindo: Echizen Lacquer and a New Generation of Craftspeople

We returned to Shitsurindo in Sabae, Fukui, to see how this Echizen lacquerware maker has grown, and to meet one of the young craftspeople carrying the craft forward.

Wajima Kirimoto: Bringing Lacquer Back into Everyday Life

We visited Wajima Kirimoto on the Noto Peninsula, a family of woodworkers turned lacquerware maker, to learn how it is making lacquer part of everyday life again.

Sonobe Sangyo: Wooden Bowls from Odawara, Made to Return to the Earth

We visited Sonobe Sangyo in Odawara, Kanagawa, to see how its Meiboku wooden bowls are made over eight months, using nature's help and wasting nothing.

/fan/fun: Kyoto Folding Fans, Made by Hand

We visited Minoya Senpo, a Kyoto folding fan maker founded in 1894, to see how its fans are made and why it launched its own brand, /fan/fun.

Take Kobo Kisetsu: From Office Worker to Bamboo Craftsman in Kyoto

We visited Take Kobo Kisetsu in Kyoto, where craftsman Mr. Hosokawa, who left an office job at 31 to learn bamboo craft, weaves ajiro bamboo bags made for everyday life.

Mimatsu Kogei: The Beauty of Wood Grain, from Saga

Among the rice fields of Kanzaki, Saga, Mimatsu Kogei went from making furniture parts to order to creating its own brands, M.SCOOP, NENRIN and GREEN, that bring out the character of every piece of...

Odate Kougeisha: Magewappa and the Story of Blanc Pa

In Odate, Akita, Odate Kougeisha has crafted magewappa bentwood ware from century-old Akita cedar for 65 years. We learned how every piece is made by hand, and why they created Blanc Pa.