Apprenticeship – Japan Woodcraft Association

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020

Japan Woodcraft Journeys – Wooden Boat Building | Douglas Brooks

Douglas Brooks is a boatbuilder, writer and researcher on a mission to preserve the wonderful yet dying tradition of Japanese wooden boatbuilding.

Over the course of last 3 decades, Douglas sought out and gained the trust of Japan’s last generation of elderly master boat builders, becoming their sole apprentice and confidant, building 8 types of traditional boats under their tutelage and watchful eye.

His insight and subsequent documenting of the traditions and techniques is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the wider world to learn about this ancient craft.

We’re delighted to bring you Douglas’s remarkable story with this revealing interview. We also urge you to read more about an often overlooked woodworking tradition through Douglas’s fantastic book, available to buy direct from him here.

December 29, 2019December 29, 2019

INTERVIEW: Lin Horiuchi – Inspiring A New Generation

With traditional gender roles in Japan slowly evolving, carpentry remains an overwhelmingly male profession. Combine this with a dwindling number of carpenters (down from 1 million in the 1980’s to less than 200k in 2020), the future for traditional Japanese woodcraft is arguably bleak.

Bucking this trend and inspiring a new generation of young, female woodworkers is Lin Horiuchi. At 25 years old, Lin is apprentice to Master Carpenter Makoto Fukada of Seyseysha, a Tokyo-based firm designing and building traditional wooden houses.