Tool Research in Japan: Introduction
In winter 2019 I undertook a significant research trip to Japan funded by The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. The purpose of the research was to investigate ‘The Lifecycle of Tools in Japanese Culture.’
Why Tools?
I went to Japan as a Churchill Fellow to see how making, skill and agency is regarded, which I did through focusing on a single section of objects: tools. I have catalogued, made and researched tools for more than 10years now in my artistic practice. In doing so I have traced the changing landscape of crafts in Europe, I have created work about labour and care, and illustrated the importance of their value to economic, social and cultural development.
I have done this through creating public movements of tool cataloguing (The Tool Appreciation Society Hull), exhibiting my handmade tools at internationally significant galleries (Palais de Tokyo L’Usage des Formes) and co-producing award-winning BBC4 Documentary Handmade in Hull.
My practice is to create artwork inspired by tools is a unique method of communication as it links with skill, location and heritage communicating the importance of personal agency; to build and make the world we want to live in. Japanese practices and philosophies are only possible to understand when experienced in person; this project allowed me to take part in these very unique elements of Japanese tool culture. Ceremonies associated with tool making and for craftspeople giving gratitude for their tools as well as rituals for everyday use will give me insight that would be impossible any other way. These experiences have directly fed into my artistic practice and the ongoing creation of new bodies of work.
Preparation, preparation, preparation
The planning stages of my 7week trip around Japan were extremely involved. For a few months prior, I exchanged weekly correspondence with the people I would be meeting as requests for further information came to me and we got to know each other better.
This speaks to how much care and consideration I was given and the feeling I had throughout my travels; that my work was important and that we were now in this quest together. This is why in writing up my finding, I’ve decided to publish it here on the TAS website, so the text can be translated easily and I can share the information widely including my new friends and colleagues in Japan. Sharing my findings is in the spirit of both The Tool Appreciation Society and WCMT. Being in new places always brings with it lessons from the sharing of knowledge. We in the UK have a lot we can learn from Japan about regionality, tools and skills. I set out in these essays the areas I think should be looked at and how I think we can work with these strategies here in the UK.
Why Japan?
Japan is unique in its combination of quality and ceremony regarding tools; directly feeding into its respect for tradition, regionality & mastery of technique. At the hands of their skilled owners, different tools can be seen to come to life (Tsukumogami), have a death (Kuyō), be dedicated to technical mastery (Intangible Cultural Heritage asset), or be shared with the general public (Factory Festivals). I have been making & researching tools within my artistic practice for over 10yrs.
In 2018 I made a body of work called Silent Apprenticeship for the exhibition ‘Footnotes’ [link] where, from the inspiration of a single Geta I worked in the shadow of the original maker, understanding the scars that his tools had made to recreate his movements and ultimately make a copy of his final shoe alongside imagined replicas of his tools.
Researching the project I became aware of the tool ceremonies in Japan and started to look deeper into them and their origins. Also in 2018 Japan House put on the award-winning Biology of Metal exhibition which highlighted the fascinating metalwork from the Niigata region of Japan and gave me my first introduction to the remarkable world of Gyokusendo’s copper workshops.
The title for my research in Japan is ‘The Lifecycle of Tools Within Japanese Culture’. Japan is unique for its combination of quality and ceremony regarding tools; directly fed from respect for tradition, regionality & mastery of technique. I propose to explore, what I have termed ‘the life cycle of tools’. At the hands of their skilled owners, different tools can be seen to be born (forging, tool making), have a life (use through dedicated craftspeople, have a death (Kuyō Services), have an afterlife (Tsukumogami)
The project aimed to gain a deep understanding of the importance of tools within Japanese culture and how this permeates everyday life. Through sending time with master tool makers and users in Tsubame-Sanjo I learnt about their appreciation for tool making and learnt some of their techniques. At KOUBA Factory Festival I researched how these events are creating new markets for the metalworking industry.
Benefits for the UK
My approach to research the ‘The Lifecycle of Tools in Japanese Culture’ was to split my research into sections: birth, life, death and afterlife. This was to ensure my research was rigorous and that I pushed myself to look at areas I wasn’t as knowledgeable in. I didn’t want to only rely on workshop practices where I am most comfortable and I wanted to ensure I gave time and energy to all areas.
