Wooden Stool Craft Experience

This tour visits OKA, a woodworking studio at the foot of a mountain along a pleasant country road lined with fields in Asahi-cho, at the northern edge of Kameoka City. The craftsperson understands the nature of wood intimately. “Furniture requires trees that have grown for more than 100 years. We would feel sorry for the tree if we did not make something that could be used for at least as long as the tree lived,” he says. Discover the depth of woodworking while listening to his ideas about the craft.

Mr. Oka, whose manner is warm and gentle, is originally from Kyoto. After studying economics at university, he joined a kimono wholesaler. Although he had loved making things since his student days, he never imagined that he would become a craftsperson. His work brought him into frequent contact with craftspeople, and as his interest in their world grew, he discovered a book about wood. Inspired by the book, he decided to become a woodworker and enrolled at the Agematsu Technical School in Nagano Prefecture. He then trained for three years under Kintaro Yazawa, a furniture craftsperson in Miyazaki who works with lacquer. After completing his training, Mr. Oka searched for a place to establish his own business. A connection with Kameoka ultimately led him to move there.