Shop Story

Hello, thank you for visiting my shop.

I run a joinery shop in Kochi Prefecture.

On this page, I would like to introduce myself, explain why I chose this job, and share my vision for the future.

Name: Kuniaki Sakamoto

Date of Birth: August 10, 1980

Blood type: A

Zodiac sign: Leo

The way I started this job is a bit unusual.

I worked as a salesperson in the construction industry from the age of 20 to 32.

I got married at 30 and had a daughter at 31.

My daughter was born with congenital heart disease and underwent several major surgeries between the ages of one and a half.

Thankfully, we were able to find a good hospital and a good doctor, and the surgery was successful and he is now thriving.

This experience had a big impact on me, and I began to believe that we only live once!

From there, I talked to my wife about the challenge I wanted to take on, and at the age of 32, I changed jobs to a company that produced furniture and building materials, and started a new life as a craftsman from scratch.

Initially, I joined the company because I wanted to make furniture, but I was shocked to learn about wooden fittings and kumiko craftsmanship.

When I learned that such delicate and intricate techniques existed, I immediately felt a desire to try making one.

However, with the number of houses built in Japan rapidly declining, there are now few such jobs, and even my senior craftsmen told me, "There are no such jobs, so there's no point in learning them."

I just couldn't give up, so I thought that if there was no work, I had no choice but to make it myself, and I practiced after work and on my days off, desperately trying to master the skills.

After that, I became more and more fascinated with the appeal of Kumiko craftsmanship and wooden fittings, and gradually I began to think that I wanted to continue learning more and make it my job.

However, even if the company I was employed by had such a job, it was obvious that I, a new employee, would not be entrusted with it. As I was worried about how many more years it would take for me to be entrusted with the job, a thought crossed my mind. "I have no choice but to start it myself!"

I changed jobs to become a craftsman, and after just two years, I realized that this decision was a reckless one, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it.

I then left that company and, while working another job, secured woodworking machinery and a factory in June 2020.

In order to address this lack of skills, I gave up my income for six months until January 2021 and received one-on-one instruction from a master who has been a joiner for over 60 years.

During that time, my mindset changed again. I realized that my master also had a master, and that master also inherited techniques from someone.

I feel that I too must pass on these techniques that have been passed down from person to person.

I also think that what is truly valuable is the knowledge and skills that have been passed down over the years.

I'm still not sure how I'm going to communicate this.

Until now, when work gets busy, the common approach has been to hire people who want to do that kind of work and teach them.

However, now we can record it in video format, and as technology advances, we may be able to recreate it in VR or other formats.

There is also the aspect that it is harder to convey than actually making it with your hands.

Whatever form it takes, I would like to preserve this knowledge and skills.

I myself will continue to hone my skills. I believe that I am at my lowest today and have room to grow.

This is a long message, but I have written down my thoughts.

Thank you for reading to the end.