At the start of the SHIZQ project, there was only one artisan capable of carving SHIZQ vessels.
The Kamiyama Shizuku Project is challenging itself to change the mountains, rivers, and people's mindsets.
It would be meaningless if the project ended in 5 or 10 years. To continue, the next generation of artisans is essential.

Amidst this pressing challenge, in the spring of 2017, a man moved from Osaka to Kamiyama Town as a prospective artisan, stating, "I want to become a Shizuku artisan!"

Utilizing local resources means protecting skills, nurturing people, and passing them on.

The activities started for the future of children, to create small local industries, are slowly growing like a living organism, carrying many aspirations.

Training artisans is at the core of this.

It's a difficult but ultimate challenge that embodies our style.

It all started with carpentry.

His first job in Kamiyama was carpentry work at the Shizuku woodworking shop, "Shizuku Lab." At the time, even though the need to train successors for artisans was felt, nothing had been initiated. There was no leeway for recruitment or an environment to accept new trainees.

Nevertheless, he found us on his own.
Trusting our intuition that he would surely become an important person for us, we assigned him as an assistant carpenter, asking, "Can you start by building your own workplace?"
For six months, he didn't touch anything related to wood lathes, instead building the foundation of craftsmanship in Kamiyama from the ground up.

After carpentry, blacksmithing

Nine months after moving, he finally began seriously learning in his master's workshop.
His goal is to become a kiji-shi, a woodturning artisan. However, he couldn't carve wood yet.
First, he started by making the tools, the blades.

Cedar is soft and cannot be carved with ordinary blades, so the artisans themselves make blades from harder materials that can carve cedar.
He spent days continuously striking and polishing, learning the basics with his body.

The first small top he carved

About a year after he moved, he happily handed me a small spinning top, just 3 cm in size. It was perfect for practice, making the most of the characteristics of woodturning.
The face of the man who appeared with this small top showed no trace of the hardships of the past year or the frustration of being an apprentice. There was only the strength of believing steadfastly in his own growth, from yesterday to today, and from today to tomorrow, and the joy of enjoying the path he had chosen.
From that top, which he was able to create with everyone's support, his journey as an artisan began.

No two are alike.

After that, he gradually increased the number of pieces he produced: sake cups, rock glasses, cups, tumblers, soup bowls, plates... Sometimes he stumbled and worried, but he steadily gained experience every day.

Cedar trees, like people, develop unique characteristics depending on their environment and age.
The grain can be coarse, there can be knots, or a high oil content, and even within a single tree, different parts vary greatly.
In fact, more is discovered by carving than by what is visible to the eye.

The artisan grasps these nuances through the feel of the blade on the wood, adjusts the pressure, shapes it, and brings out the maximum potential of each piece's unique character.

Taking the life of a tree that has lived twice as long as oneself, and breathing new life into it.
Sharpening the senses to perceive the unique individuality of each tree, and creating the environment for it.

From an outsider's perspective, it may seem like a repetition of the same task.

But in reality, there is no identical task or moment; each instant is unique. Facing it earnestly is what hones an artisan.
 

There are no shortcuts. Our method, which may seem clumsy and roundabout, follows the path of the potter's wheel, moving steadily and unwavering today. Believing in the light ahead.