http://www.woodreview.com.au 39PROFILEThree years ago you took a beginner
boxmaking course and now you are
totally committed to a new path in
life. Where did the interest in Japanese
woodworking come from?I attended an intro course at my
local community wood shop in the
beginning of 2016. During a brief
slideshow, the instructor described
various schools of woodworking;
one of which was Japanese
woodworking. It was described as
a style of woodworking that valued
wood as a living material with an
important history. It employed toolsof outwardly simple design, and
used very few fasteners, as a rule.
Additionally, it seemed to stress the
critical importance of building one’s
skill with hand tools. ‘We won’t be
doing any of that today’, he told the
class. Whether that was a little bit
of reverse psychology or not...I think
that peaked my curiosity.Do you speak Japanese?I didn’t speak a word when I started
out. By the time my apprenticeship
began, it was expected that I would
be able to. There were a few latenights of studying in the time leading
up to my training.How is it possible for a Canadian to be
apprenticed to a craftsperson in Japan?I would say more than a little bit
of luck. As a foreign apprentice,
learning the language proved a great
way to demonstrate commitment.
That being said, finding a teacher
that suits your working and learning
style can take years, even for
Japanese students. So I think I got
very lucky to find my place with
Master Tokunaga.The Apprentice
How does a Canadian with a newly kindled interest in woodworking come to be
apprenticed less than two years later to a renowned craftsman in Miki, Japan?
We asked Benedict Viertelhausen this and many other questions about his year-long
experience in the workshop of Toshio Tokunaga.Left to right: Apprentices Hiromi Otake,
Ayako Ohama, Benedict Viertelhausen,
photographed in front of the workshop with
master craftsman Toshio Tokunaga on the
day before Benedict left to return to Canada.