…in the lasts years I noticed that several of the people in the “known” did not have the opportunity or like that, to pass their knowledge to another person to keep with that labor intact. Also, due to time goes by, many master craftmen in several styles and labors passed away.
Here s a short clip to remind us that is not all the machine and sit waiting for the money comes:
Great film clip.
I love that zeal for handcrafting an object of beauty and function. Some would say that there is no soul in an inanimate object, but really I think that there is a connection between the object and the living creator of that object, call it soul or personality or whatever you want, that just isn't there in a machine made object.
Admittedly, machine made objects are fully functional, and have their place. But the passion to spend 30 years trying to make a certain type of sword does not come from a machine, it comes from the heart and soul of the man who puts his all into every sword he makes.
We can appreciate and utilize the machine, but lets never lose appreciation for the craftsman who spends himself to create an object that will speak of his passion and knowledge and self discipline and hard labor, and his drive to give of himself to his fellow man, through the work of his hands.
Its a concept that is slipping from our culture, as fewer and fewer people in our everyday world actually create, by hand, objects for the use of their fellow man.
…hello Huck,
I think lately, there s lack in understanding, passion and spirit
That was good Reverb, thanks for posting.
I was recently in Japan and noticed the Japanese will pay a lot of money for hand made items , just because they are hand made , Japanese locally made surfboards start at about $3000 .
Maybe part of the problem with the surfboard industry is that there is no formal training and recognised accreditation. In an ideal world you world learn under a craftsman, do an ‘apprenticship’ and become a registered craftsman. Your registered qualifications could be put on your boards and consumers would have the confidence in buying a quality product from a skilled person??
Theres a few guys around my area that I would happily get another board from, they are the guys that learnt the craft by hand, through trial and error, have been at it for years, both self taught, and both mighty fine shapers. When you get a board from them they are stoked to make it, you can almost feel their excitement when they are shaping the board and dreaming of where this board is going to go on the wave and making her just right for you. When you pick up a board from these guys sometimes you can see that they dont want to let it go as they have poured all their experience into it and shaped it with skill and emotion, heart and soul you could say.
A machine doesnt want to keep the board after they have shaped it, just to surf it before letting it go, a machine doesnt dream of the board as its being shaped, a machine doesnt get that emotional attatchement and care factor into the shaping process.
I know there is a place in the industry for machines, but maybe im really old fashioned, but there aint a place in my life for machines, but then again I aint no professional shaper, only a guy who dreams and longs to get a planner into his hand again.
Hey Yorky, Huei, whats been cooking in your labs guys, absolute legends with the old planner, inspirational people indeed.
…you re welcome ChrisP.
…hey Marsh Im not sure if go the Academy way is a good way to go, kind of kill the nature and free spirit of the thinkers and the guys who are not famous but have their own ideas and do it right; the DIY guys; the guys who have no money at all to go spend thousands to live in a country with those possible academies…
Also, there are more than one approach to surfboards, in design and in building; who s better? what s better?
-In that clip, I do not see that academy approach; yes, he went to study with a master, but not the standardized way.
The standardization is not a good thing, in my opinion.
just saying
Thanks for that reverb. I use carving tools for my work. I have some really old ones from Japan that I inherited from my grandmother. They are so much better, sharper and stay sharper than any of my other knives.
In Japan they have a government run program subsidizing the work of artisans, the “Living National Treasures.”
Check out some of the work here-
GALLERY OF “NINGEN-KOKUHO” (LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE)
…hello man, yes I know about that program due a friend who lives in Japan and few years ago he was introduced to the last of the craftsmen that makes kanjis for the printing (to the newspapers)
-I have a very old pair of scissors from Japan (from the mother of this friend) that s what I use daily to cut sandpaper…I never sharpened yet