Ditto. When I showed up I found shops installing our system perfectly without any prior training or manual. Meanwhile…I still have a few shops here I’ve visited upwards of umpteenth times and they still can’t “figure it out”. I saved the homemade fin system thread specifically for those guys. There are some serious craftsmen in Japan no doubts. Almost got thrown in the slammer in fujisawa city though. Hey, they didn’t look like hookers…
Well mate it doesnt matter about that any more and they would have never known if we didn,t teach them.The fact is the surfboard industry has sold its self out by machines and mass production.A hand crafted board is sometimes a work of art or something that should be chained up and given a kennel.Maybe in between.BUT now days your local real estae agent might have his own brand promoting a new f---- coastal sub division.AND then if the pore labours doing the glassing f— up the shaping machine board is not perfect,he just doesn,t pay them.He says F----- you I,ll buy it in Asia.Japanese people are cool.don,t know about Japan.BUT I know Asia.And I really hope the bastards how are making surfboards over there are looking after there workers.Which I KNOW the C----S are not. OVER
Wow. Amazing shape and gloss on the three stringer you posted. I checked the website and tried a Google translation to English. If the translation (and my interpretation) is correct, it takes up to several days of hand rubbing (no machine?) to obtain that kind of gloss - “Super Gloss” is available in different levels of finish. The cost for the premium gloss alone on a big longboard appears to be nearly $300.00. The price on the board looks to be almost three grand.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
300,000 Japanese Yen = 2,823.52 US Dollar
Also looks as if maybe they have contracted with shapers from US but do the glass work over there. Maybe guys like Hynson and Pavel fly over there to do the shapes.
I did a shaping stint in Shikoku a while back. Really nice people. Good food, fun waves, cute girls coming down from Osaka on the weekends.
But, yes, The local guys shaped beautiful boards, and the glassing was top-notch. It wasn’t a Chinese-style production factory, either, it was more of a cruisy, West Coast set-up: a bunch of misfits and mavericks…
I did several shaping tours to Japan in the 80s. The quality of the product we were manufacturing was immaculate. The work habits and work ethic were something we should envy here in North America. The accommodations first class. The price structure for product was a model that allowed everyone to prosper - owners, shapers, laminators, sanders, polishers, retailers - everyone was well paid and “honored” for their work. The loyalty of everyone involved to the reputation and integrity of the brands we produced was an integral part of the whole equation. The surf media reinforced the value of product at every turn.
The Japanese board industry makes quite a statement. It’s a very accurate reflection of honor and duty in Japanese culture. The results speak for themselves.
Sammy that is very true, the Japanese have a very strong work ethic and highly value and respect craftmanship.
Butieful boards,
Does seem expensive but I think the yen is a strong curancey, I think the same board would go the a similar amount over here once the excange rate is taken into account, basically what ever it costs in $ you are likerly to pay the same in £, so a $700 board US side, but the same board over here would probably be sold for £700. I guess shipping comes in but alot of boards are make under contract here and they are all aroung the same price.
You can see that in some of the tools like the curved hand planes and pull saws that work much better than the western eqiverlent.
Ike I don’t think this is a post about massproduction and out sourcing to Asia. Surfing is very popular in Japan and the japanese have been shaping boards for a long time before mass production, as long as the US, OZ and UK.
BTW my original copy of Surfboard (design and construction) published in 77, is written japanese and only 2 thrids are translated to english, so I’d say they have taught us more than we have taught them.
So,for a nation that takes it’s equipment so seriously,why no Japanese Swaylockians ???
Well I’m Japanese…just not from Japan. I’m Yonsei- fourth generation American.
There is Yoshio- he does some really great conpsands.
I’ve often thought about why there are no Japanese surfers on the WCT…while on the other hand there are lots of top tier Japanese or Japanese/American/Hawaiian shapers. Eric Arakawa, Donald Takayama, Guy Takayama, Glen Minami, Wes Oshiro, Wayne Miyata, Wayne Okamoto, Don Kadowaki, Brett Marumoto…I know there’s a lot more but they don’t come to mind.
I do think it has to do with Japan’s love of craftsmanship. I worked for a world famous artist (James Turrell) and he told me once that one of the greatest artists he had the honor to meet was one of Japan’s “Living National Treasures” , a wooden box maker. Japan subsidizes the work of artisans whose craft might otherwise be lost.
Maybe master surfboard shapers will one day be considered by the USA or Australia “living national treasures” and get the support they deserve…before their art is lost.
