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Thread: Japanese Sashimonoshi Video

  1. #1
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    Japanese Sashimonoshi Video

    The link below is to a webpage with a video about a gentlemen named Kenji Suda, a designated National Living Treasure and sashimono-shi. The video quality is very high, as is the work it shows. I think you will enjoy it.

    Stan

    http://www.town.kanra.gunma.jp/movie/mokkougei_eng.html

  2. #2
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    Very nice, thanks for sharing the link Stan!

  3. #3
    I enjoyed that - thanks Stan!

  4. #4
    I now feel totally fine about the number of saws I own. In fact, it may not be enough.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Noah Magnuson View Post
    I now feel totally fine about the number of saws I own. In fact, it may not be enough.
    Wait a minute... who told you it was possible to own too many saws? Poppycock! Stuff and nonsense! Blasphemy!

  6. #6
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    Oh my ... now I am thirsty.

    Awe inspiring.

    Thanks for sharing.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  7. #7
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    Thank you, Stanley! Great video to have with my first cup of coffee.
    Rick

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    Thank you Stanley!
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  9. #9
    Appreciate the link Stanley. I enjoyed the insights into the craftsman's attitude and ethos as much as the work itself.
    Makes everything I do in my workshop seem like the primitive stone age compared to this level of refinement.
    Very inspiring

    As an aside, nice counter-point to the ongoing thread condemning videos that demonstrate "second-rate skills". Maybe the world cannot exist without both yin and yang.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    Appreciate the link Stanley. I enjoyed the insights into the craftsman's attitude and ethos as much as the work itself.
    Makes everything I do in my workshop seem like the primitive stone age compared to this level of refinement.
    Very inspiring

    As an aside, nice counter-point to the ongoing thread condemning videos that demonstrate "second-rate skills". Maybe the world cannot exist without both yin and yang.
    Edwin:

    You and everyone else are very welcome. Chris Vandiver sent me the link today, and I was deeply impressed with the quality of the craftsman's design and execution. Small but beautiful.

    As to being a counter-point to second-rate skills, I have not been following that thread. There is always someone better, and even "second-rate skills" are an inspiration to many.

  11. #11
    That is beautiful! A very nice distraction from the depressing thing of reviewing trouble patients to discharge.

  12. #12
    After looking at it again, it boggles my mind!

    How did he do those inlays by hand?
    In my hands, I'd use a dental drill.

  13. #13
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    Thanks Stan

    You mentioned "that other" thread on YouTube videos, and this video is similar in a way.

    There is something very humbling about full blind dovetails - not simply because of their complexity, but because we amateurs make pieces for others to admire, such as the joinery. It is difficult enough for a fellow woodworker, who understands the process involved in full blind dovetails, but when one does not advertise the process ...?!

    The maker here has not only superb hand skills, but also artistry. The making of this video is, I assume, for his fellow woodworkers to admire the build process. I think that we all - he included - have a desire for this recognision. It's a lot like how we love to show off the dovetails on the drawers we make ... we show off to our fellow woodworkers ... since no one else is really interested in how we got there. They just want to admire the final production. And this, too, is inspiring - to build correctly for no other reason than it is correct, and not because it is show-worthy.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Thanks Stan

    You mentioned "that other" thread on YouTube videos, and this video is similar in a way.

    There is something very humbling about full blind dovetails - not simply because of their complexity, but because we amateurs make pieces for others to admire, such as the joinery. It is difficult enough for a fellow woodworker, who understands the process involved in full blind dovetails, but when one does not advertise the process ...?!

    The maker here has not only superb hand skills, but also artistry. The making of this video is, I assume, for his fellow woodworkers to admire the build process. I think that we all - he included - have a desire for this recognision. It's a lot like how we love to show off the dovetails on the drawers we make ... we show off to our fellow woodworkers ... since no one else is really interested in how we got there. They just want to admire the final production. And this, too, is inspiring - to build correctly for no other reason than it is correct, and not because it is show-worthy.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Indeed, blind dovetails are an absolute indication of a craftsman's commitment to quality, even without recognition. But don't forget that Mr. Suda is a designated "Living National Treasure," that receives a stipend from the government making it possible for him to make what he wants, the way he wants, without waiting for orders, and without fear of not being able to sell it. And because of the fame of his position, he can charge much more than market rate for his products and people will buy them simply because he made them. I don't mean to minimize his skills to any degree, just to point out that he is in a unique situation few craftsmen enjoy.

    The video was made for the town of Kanraku in Gunma Prefecture. This is serious countryside. It was also made with NHK's (Nihon Hoso Kyoku = Japan National Broadcasting) cooperation, which means NHK at least filmed and edited it. Probably more. This explains the extremely high quality of the video, but why would NHK do this for a little backwater town? Japan's population is at a tipping point, with people living longer, and women bearing fewer children. Young people are leaving the countryside to attend school, work, and live in the more vibrant urban centers, leaving many country towns occupied only by old folks. Some towns have been abandoned entirely. There have been may taxpayer-funded efforts intended to keep young people, and attract new residents to such towns. One strategy is to make the idea of living in countryside more attractive. Another is to stimulate tourism to such areas. I understand that these sort of videos have proven effective for this purpose.

    I suspect that NHK's production of this video is also consistent with the Government's interest in promoting/justifying the Living National Treasure system.

  15. #15
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    Great vid! Thanks Stan!

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