Kesurokai

Gränsfors Bruks axes

Gränsfors Bruks are a very small company and do not normally offer sponsorship so we consider ourselves very privileged to have been given some tools by them to send out to Japan. The Japanese really appreciate high quality tools and Gränsfors' are superb; hand-forged and designed by people who use them. In return for their generosity I shall be providing them with photos, and hopefully video too, of the tools being used on the project.

 

We now have most of the tools from our tool list and by the end of next week the large crate will be sealed and they will begin their slow voyage by sea to Japan, hopefully arriving by the time we get there in August. The reason so many tools are needed is because there will be a large number of Japanese carpenters working over a short period of time on the European paviliion. Whilst they could work with their own Japanese axes, part of the point of the project is that everyone gets to experience the tools and techniques of the others' culture.

I will write more about Gränsfors Bruks later because the story of their company is fascinating, but in the mean time here is some video of Robin using one of their Swedish carving axes which were developed in association with the great master spooncarver Wille Sundqvist and are superb for spoon carving.

N.B. there is no audio on this video due to WMG falling out with YouTube

Tools (and the wonders of Skype)

The carpenters have an extensive tool list that is needed to build the European pavilion and these must be taken with us because many of them are unique to European carpentry. 

This morning Robin and Hannes spent quite some time discussing which tools are still needed via Skype; somehow it is much easier to talk when you can see each other, particularly if one of you is not speaking in your native language. The screen sharing option mean you can look at web sites together too, here they are discussing axes:

The pressure is now on to source them all because, due to their great weight, they must be shipped in advance, leaving at the beginning of May. Hannes has arranged a discounted rate with a shipping company and is building a substantial crate (3m x 1m x 1m) to contain them all.

Many of these tools are very expensive so they are also working on obtaining discounts and sponsorship deals for them. After Kesurokai the tools will remain in Japan as gifts for the Japanese carpenters who will be our hosts.

Some new funding

Cormac Seekings has just had the great news that he has received a grant from the GB Sasakawa Foundation for his study tour of Minka construction and carpentry which will follow on directly after he has been working at Kesurokai.

There's more about Cormac and his work here.

道 Dō

If I can get the funding, I shall extend my stay in Japan by 10 days to attend a conference in Tokyo which is about the concept of 道 Dō in ethnography (see below for an explanation).

Rather than having to write a paper there is a strand for artifacts which can include film, and initial enquiries with the conference organisers imply they would be very interested in Kesurokai. So hopefully I will find somewhere to stay for the week between the end of Kesurokai and the beginning of the conference and do a first edit on the video.

The funding forms are due in at the end of the month - I should work on those rather than blogging!

From the Epic 2010 conference web site:

道 Dō captures the sense of individual mastery that is achieved only with the help of a community and its rich heritage. 道 Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic. 道 Dō is the “path” we have travelled and also the way ahead of us.

道 Dō in ethnography symbolizes the dynamic between ethnography’s internal strengths (its essence, our values, its heritage, its rigor and disciplined approach) and its applications to the world (to enhancement of people’s lives, to innovation, to transformation of industries, to business growth). It is the “path” we have come from but also the way ahead of us.

Who's coming?

Today I got an up to date contact list with people who have definitely confirmed they can come to Japan.

At the moment there are 23 of us; 3 from UK (Nicola Wood, Robin Wood and Cormac Seekings), plus 1 Belgian, 2 Swedish, and 16 German. We are the lucky ones who can underwrite our own expenses if we don't raise enough money through grants.

Sadly, Petr Růžička's group from Czechoslovakia who would like to come are not as financially secure and must obtain grants before they can book which might make their flights more expensive. The team's hewing power will be greatly depleted if they are not successful in their fund raising.

Once I have had the chance to get in touch with everyone, I will post some details about individual people and what they do.

A new sponsor

Many thanks to Nick Gibbs of Living Woods magazine who has pledged money towards our expenses, in return for which Robin and I will write about our trip and provide some lovely photos for his magazine. This adds to a grant from the Association of Pole-lathe Turners & Green Woodworkers.

Our fellow UK craftsmen who will accompany us on the trip, Henry Russell and Cormac Seekings, have also had a grant from the the Carpenters Fellowship.

First team meeting

With the plans at the Japanese end being well underway, funding for their side of project has been obtained from the "Green Business Fund" and planning permission has been applied for, the European team met on 16 January to discuss their plans and funding opportunities. The German delegation gathered at Hannes' home and those from further afield 'visited' using Skype -  a laptop computer and a data projector enabling them to talk to the rest of the group!

The initial plans were agreed:

• dates 7-21 August 2010 location nr Enzan, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
• around 40 Japanese craftsmen will attend
• around 30 European craftsmen have expressed an interest in attending (2 French, 8 Czech, 3 UK, 1 Swedish, 15 German, 1 Dutch) plus Nicola as photographer/video recorder
• the Japanese delegation will lead the building of a tea house
• the European delegation will lead the building of a pavilion with barbecue area and table football facilities
• the buildings will be temporary and will travel around colleges in Japan after the event

The Japanese will arrange to collect the European delegation from the airport, take them to the site and provide subsidised food and accommodation. Hannes will organise a group booking for flights to Tokyo to obtain the best price. Everyone will look for funding opportunities within their own countries.