The undisputed master of Auroville woodworking is Japanese
Aurovilian Kenji Matsumoto. But it was by chance, he says, that woodworking
became his profession. For his first love was the sea and his wooden yacht, and
for many years he sailed around the world. Then a hurricane struck and wrecked
his boat.
“I had no money to pay a professional shipbuilder, and so I
was forced to do all repairs myself,” he says. It took him a year. But the job
not only taught him the love of wood but also showed him his path: to become a
professional woodworker.
Back in Japan Kenji took up a carpentry apprenticeship.
Japan has a rich tradition of woodworking, stemming from a deep love of and
respect for wood as a living organism. Several master craftsmen taught him how
to choose and read the wood; how to measure, plan, sketch and execute designs;
how to do precision work within an 1/1000th error margin; and, most
importantly, how to reveal the hidden beauty of wood and ...
>> More
>> More