Tatsuo Morikawa
KAWAGOE, SAITAMA, JAPAN
Wood craftsman Tatsuo Morikawa forges Japanese tradition with innovative techniques to hand-make items intended to provide warmth and comfort.
Tatsuo Morikawa's passion for woodwork stems from an inclination to provide care. Following a pursuit in a career as a social worker, Tatsuo changed pace and spent two years at the renowned woodworking school of Shinrin Takumi Juki, where he practised ancient artisanal techniques. After spending five years creating contemporary furniture, Tatsuo became accustomed to testing the borders of traditional technique. He currently plays with the possibilities of woodworking from his independent workshop in Kawagoe, where he strives to make the reposeful qualities of the material available to the user.
Tatsuo's first encounters with wood
Whilst caring for his grandmother suffering from dementia, Tatsuo decided to pursue a lifetime of social work. During a university class, he became acquainted with the case of an elderly patient who tended to wander restlessly around, yet appeared unagitated for long durations when seated in his armchair. Tatsuo’s attention hereafter shifted to the influence of furniture in our daily life, and he moved to the mountain village of Hida Takayama, an ancient merchant city known for its highly skilled woodcraft.
"Through this case study, I came to feel that trees and chairs have special powers."
At the notable school of Shinrin Takumi Juku, Morikawa studied for two years under master craftsmen, fairly isolated from the rest of Japanese society. He pursued ancient artisanal wood-working techniques such as sashimono or “Japanese joinery”; the art of joining wood together to make freestanding objects without the use of fasteners or adhesives.
Following his apprenticeship, Tatsuo worked in a woodshop in Saitaima, which held a position of prominence in creating challenging woodwork for the imperial palace. Tatsuo has since 2011 worked independently from his own workshop in Saitaima, where he forges artisanal wood-working with unconventional techniques to create original and custom-made craftware intended to provide comfort.
Ode to Japanese wood
Tatsuo works from concept rather than measurements — traditionally considered the wood craftsman's guiding principle, and sympathises with his culture's profound respect for the natural world.
In his work he accordingly seeks to manifest the inherent qualities of Japanese wood, resulting in pieces that reflect the natural shape, colour and patterns of the wood materials meticulously sourced for each project.
“The feel of the wood, the pattern of the wood grain, the fragrance and the colour vary depending on the type of wood, the part of the tree, and individual differences. I feel a deep fascination with maximising the unique characteristics of such materials.”
The technical process
Prior to embarking on the phase of production, Tatsuo conducts in-depth research on the various woods to be used. He then undertakes the processes of drying, sawing, splitting and stacking the wood himself.
In the case of cherry wood, it can take a couple of years to dry before processing can begin.
The cherry wood tea cup is made with cherry blossom, also known as a Japanese cherry or Sakura. Each piece is carefully carved to produce a smooth texture with a faint sense of warmth and aroma emitting from the cherry blossom. Tatsuo uses a technique called water sharpening, wherein the wood is wetted with water and polished with sandpaper, resulting in the smooth surface of the cup. He additionally works with a particular gauge — created for the purpose of the cherry wood tea cup, in order to work the tip of the cup into a subtle trim that is comfortable to the touch of the mouth.