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.
INTERVIEW: Lin Horiuchi – Inspiring A New Generation
Japan Woodcraft Association 