42 Australian Wood Review
and surfaces that were smoother than
could be achieved with sandpaper.
In Japanese, this unique finishing
texture is called kanna-shiage.
My personal style in Canada is similar
to my teacher’s. I am most passionate
about chairmaking. I share Master
Tokunaga’s perspectives that when it
comes to changing human minds about
the value of wood, the chair is the ‘how’,
but kanna-shiage is the ‘why’.
4
5
Has this changed your life? You said
that before your apprenticeship in Japan
you had planned to be a doctor or work
in health care. Woodworking seems very
far removed from that, or do you see
parallels? How do you feel about being
back home in Newfoundland?
I would say yes and no. ‘Yes’ because
when I first started woodworking, I
never envisioned myself becoming a
professional furniture maker. On the
other hand, I was very surprised to
find out just how many similarities
exist between a traditional Japanese
apprenticeship, and the residency
program we use to educate physicians.
Some of the friends I met in school
joke that I’ve simply traded out my
patient populations.
Living in Newfoundland is a real
privilege. Both Japan and Canada
have beautiful and diverse forests.
They are great places to work with
wood. I look forward to sharing
what I have learned so far, and to
building lasting connections between
professionals in both countries.
Being in Japan gave me perspective
on how lucky I am to be a Canadian,