HANEDA "Kumi-himo" FACTORY

(Though this one's made of paulownia wood, it's grayish.) This one was burnt to finish off. Usually paulownia is yellowish, but this one has a burning procedure. If you burn it, the soft part becomes hollow. Rather than brushing color onto the wood, it's more like pouring on. And I wipe them off as I color them. So it's quite difficult to avoid getting the colors uneven. (The traditional finishing? ）Yes, it is called so. But nowadays it is getting popular. Historically speaking we were the first to make paulownia chests. Way back in those days paulownia was used for kotos (Japanese harps) and other stuff, but there were no paulownia chests. These chests have been around only 35 years. It's become quite common now, but it hasn't been around for so long. (Did this traditional finishing appear in your father's generation?）We've been in this business since my grandfather's generation. It's been nearly a century. This year has marked the 90th year.

(Are you doing this on your own now ?) Yes, my father's been dead for, like 4 years. (Did your father teach you?) Yes. At one point all three of us - my grandfather, my father and myself - were doing this business. My grandfather lived relatively long and my father died early, so when I started my grand dad was still there. Us three were doing it for about 5 years. Before the war there were like 10 people at work but now within this house only my family is doing it. It gets difficult when you're all alone in this business. I have trouble delivering the goods. (You can't carry them all by yourself, can you?) That's right.（You make the goods alone don't you?）Usually, if things had gone idealistically, if my father had lived until say, 70 years old, and if my son had grown up by now - then this business could have been handed down without hiring anybody. (As a craftsman, Katayama-san, are you relatively young?) Well, yes. Also there are some cases of father and son running the business. As a crafts master, I think I am quite young. (How many years have you been making chests?) I've been doing this since I graduated from high school, so, for about 30 years. Now I am 48 years old. On my birthday this year, it'll mark exactly 30 years. (You specialize in making large chests?) Yes, I think. (Katayama's paulownia chests' trademark has continued for 90years?) Yes.

(Do you decide what you make?) I do not decide but generally speaking, there are goods in the world that sell steadily. So I follow them. But it doesn't mean that those are my main product lines. (You change it generation by generation?) Yes, Designs change according to the times, but the basic concepts do not change all that much. In the case of chests of drawers, the primary purpose is to put something in. Then comes design. Therefore, not very much changeable. But they are getting better each year as the standard of living improves. So, If you keep making conventional style goods, they don't sell. (Are the sizes always the same?) There is a set of nation-wide standards, and there are many variations. The old measure 'shaku', or 'foot' in Japanese version is used. The width of the chest is the most important to determine the whole shape, rather than the height. This one is 3.'shaku' and 1 'sun(Japanese inch)', or 94cm. Generally the widths come in 94cm, 100cm, 106cm and 121cm. After that the height is determined and then come the depth. Apart from mass productions that are strictly done according to the standard, the sizes of hand made products are modified from the standard height. For example, a chest of 106cm width comes in the height of 170cm according to the standard, but we could change it to 175cm. A better chest can be made 177cm high. The sizes vary according to each shop. The depth is also made deeper. This 106cm wide type is popular but it's an old size. (The one you delivered a while ago was a large one?) Yes, that was large. That type is made of 1 sun thick materials. Therefore the weight is so heavy, and the size so large. The height is around 180cm, like western furniture. The width is 3 shaku and 6 sun, or 110cm so - the exact height is 181cm, the depth around 48cm. (Where do you sell them to?) A department store bought a batch, then after 4 or 5 years, the actual consumer who had gotten my business card along with the product gave me a contact directly. She placed an order for another two so as to make a 3 piece chest set. So, at first I sold to department store, and then it sort of grew. The department store doesn't mind much about these extra orders as long as they come afterwards, and I'm also allowed to hand out my business cards. After using, the customer liked it and bought two more. (The order came from an individual person?) Yes.

can make anything, if customers request. The characteristics consist in detailed devices. For high-class chests I can make double secret drawers - another secret drawer inside the conventional single. I make goods that Tokyo people can not, and I can hand-make the uncommon style adapted from Niigata chests. I make what others cannot, but with these goods right here, it's hard to show you. (Is your style different from your grand father's generation?) Yes, the atmosphere you feel from the products is not the same. It had become more gorgeous. The metal works are different, the variety increased. As I mentioned, the standard of living within the whole population has changed, not just the chest industry. (Is the metal work done by metal curving craftsmen?)　No, there are certain wholesalers, specializing only in metal fittings for paulownia chests. I buy from them. (In the old days, did every house have chests?) Yes, there were only paulownia chests, some extremely good and some extremely bad, many types. (Hardware too?) Yes, there were only limited kind of hardware. It's been the last 10 years since hardware spread this much. After all, metal workers made better and better products in order to profit. Otherwise, they would have had to increase the price of the existing products, which would have failed. Good products attract customers. Accordingly the prices go up, as you see.

(Is that one also made of paulownia?) All of these are made of paulownia. (I hear that large paulownia wood is scarce.) There are some. This one is quite big for a paulownia board. There are wider ones, but basically there's aren't much larger ones. (Do big chests require large paulownia wood?) Yes. The better the chest, the wider board we use. For cheaper products, we join pieces of narrower boards together. Therefore, the broader the board, the higher the price. Also, the thickness of the board varies according to it. With this one, we usually make chests. This one is imported from China, and is becoming the mainstream material generally used within the industry. (How do you use it?) I use it for making chopping boards, and I never use it for chests. At department stores, these chopping boards sell well because paulownia boards are light and dry up quickly. (A high-class chest maker also making chopping boards?) These boards here are too good for making chopping boards, so we supply the jointed boards for department stores as chopping blocks. (Do you use glue made of rice?) No, not rice. We use synthetic glue. In old days we used 'sokui' - mashed rice, but the adhesion was not strong enough and insects ate them up. (So your chests are joined by glue?) Yes, of course. For example these big boards naturally don't exist so we made them by joining pieces. The same is true for any chests, regardless of how much they cost - 10 million yen or 20 million yen. (You use glue for these cases too?) Yes, we do. (For shaping them?) Of course, we use glue for all. Otherwise, the adhesion would be insufficient. The construction is supported by glue rather than by nails. (You use nails too?) Yes - wooden pegs. If we use hit metal nails we can't plane off later. With wooden nails, we can plane off with a planer even afterwards. (Do some craftsmen find making chests with many drawers loathsome?) Yes, right, because they're hard work (laughs). The larger the chest, the more you need material and work. Thus the price gets higher. From a commercial standpoint it's better. Therefore, the better the product is, the more drawers can be attached. From the user's viewpoint, it's more convenient with many drawers to keep things inside. For example, with less number of drawers, you tend to put too many things in it, resulting in creases on your garment. It is easier to put things in and out of bigger chests, which keep garments crease-free too. It may mean more work, but you get paid for all that.

(How could one judge the price of a chest?) First, basically what matters is the width, the size. The size determines the price. Basically, the wider the chest, the thicker the board, which are more expensive. Accordingly we choose good looking materials. The whole quality of the chest gets higher according to the size. Usually we put inner trays inside the door. The number of trays increase from 6 to 7 or 8 pieces as the chest is up-graded. If the number is just 5 trays, you could keep more clothes inside per tray, but then it gets cramped and thus difficult to slide in and out. Basically, the price is determined by size. Double- or triple- stacked chests are priced accordingly also. (Any shops make chests by machine?) Yes. 90% of them rely on machines. They let female factory workers work the machines, maximizing efficiency by division of labor and flow lines. Craftsmen come in on important processes such as assembling. Otherwise they wouldn't be so cheap. These manufacturers do not market directly. They distribute through wholesalers only, where the prices get slashed through hard bargaining. If they rely on craftsmen to do the job the beginning to the end, the prices would get higher. But with female workers and machines, once you train them with division of labor, they need to do just a part of the whole work. (What are the prices of these machine manufactured chests?) Actually they're priced the almost same as ours. Distributers buy cheap at wholesale but sell at expensive prices at retail. (Could one tell the difference once after using?) Yes, certainly you can. Our quality of inner materials is much better. The appearances are not easy to distinguish but the interiors are different. Manufacturers using machines need to improve the appearance if they want a competitive edge. (So should we buy a hand made chest from craftsmen?) Absolutely, it's much better value for money, much better!

(Is one whole chest made from the same timber?) Generally the front is made of the same timber. Other surrounding parts depend on the prices. The really good products are made of different timbers at the front and at the side. For the front, 'masaita' or straight year boards are used. The quality is good. Usually they come from Fukushima prefecture, which are called Aizu paulownia. For the high-end chests, we do not mix with other timber. (Do you have paulownia materials?) Yes, we do. More than 90% are imported paulownia I think. Perhaps, in the last 10 years, imported materials increased to become 90%. (Do you use imported timber?) We don't use them at all. As I said, imported materials are for chopping boards, not for chests. Ours chests are made from 100% Japanese materials. (Are domestic timbers difficult to get?) It's difficult to get the 'masaita boards' for the front. To make cheaper chests we don't need them, but for high-end chests we try to use the best we could get because the front board is pretty much our signboard. (How much do you stock materials?) Since the place is so small, not much. Some time ago we kept a lot of materials. Now, I'm alone, so I just keep some up on my roof. In old days we used to have a lot but now I don't because they get sun burnt. (Sun burnt?) Yes. Their colors fade out even by fluorescent lights. There's no problem to keep them for a year or so, but they don't get better after 2 or 3 years. Yes, these finished products also would be burnt if kept too long. As for materials, we can get it any time as long as we have money - since the economy is not good. Chests sell well, making way for imported materials. Using Japanese timber only would be difficult for this industry. (Is Japanese timber high quality?) Yes, very good. But only Aizu timber is good. The south area such as Iwate, or other parts like Tochigi, Gunma or Akita prefectures produce materials too, but they aren't as good.

(Is this a luxury item?) This is made of 100% Aizu paulownia from Fukushima prefecture. Usually it is very rare to find 100% goods unless it is order made. I make them, without orders. Naturally people find these expensive, so it's kind of difficult. But we price things reasonably normally, so. Usually I get an order for it, then determine the price. (How much?) If the place is far away then I'd have to take a little extra, say, 600 thousand (You price them that low?) Yes, the whole industry is lowering the price.It is hard to find chests that cost a million yen these days. They certainly don't sell. Because even the cheapest chests cost at least 300 thousand. (Then if you can make only 2 a month, it's a hard business isn't it?) That's right. It's certainly a busy business but never profitable. It is hard to make a living by only selling goods you made yourself. Honestly speaking I have subcontracts and sell those products too. During the department store chest festivals I have to work for that entirely, so I scarcely have time to make products at home. I can't make a living doing only that. I let subcontractors make products of small unit prices, and do the larger works myself. If there were only large transactions for me to work on, then maybe I could support myself on my own, but with this recession going on, things don't turn out that way. Small unit prices don't mean small work time. Not only the paulownia chest industry, but the whole woodwork business is an inefficient and non profitable area. The chest industry is one of the worst, since the prices haven't increased in the last ten years.

(Are chests still perceived as a must item for newly wed women?) No. I'm about to take this one to a newly wed, but customers in their fifties are my main customers. These ladies have had their daughters married off, thus they lead a relatively stable life economically. For instance. women whose daughters have married and left the house, therefore now live relatively well off. They are unsatisfied with the quality of chests they've been using throughout the years, and now that they've got many kimonos, they'd like to buy new ones - so it's additional orders rather than reinstalling. And they want another chest because their number of kimonos had grown over the years. In the old days, 80 to 90% of chests were made for newly weds, but now it's maybe fifty-fifty.

(Does your sign 'Renewal touches' mean, repair?) I will plane it all over, to make it look as good as new. (Does it need a lot of work?) Certainly. Though not as much as making a new one from the start, it really depends on how damaged the chest is. Some scratches are deep, some are even gnawed by rats (laughs). They come in hideous conditions. Some, you'd rather throw away. For customers, many of these are keepsakes, formerly owned by the deceased. They say, "I don't have much other keepsakes left that reminds me of my mother". Using the same chest that her mom had used - that kind of nostalgia. These things are quite common. When a parent dies, the biological daughter tends to keep them rather than the daughter in law. So occasionally, I go fetch a chest, fix it, then deliver it to the daughter. Also there are cases in which my customers build a new house, and they want the chests to match the crisp new surrounding. (If you plane them, do they get as good as new?) Yes, it depends on the chest, but they get much cleaner. (Are older chests higher in quality?) No, on the contrary, they're not so good. Somehow, many people have the notion that older ones are better. Almost brainwashed. Chests are meant for use, rather than left as artistic objects, so generally the new ones are better. Of course, there are good chests in each generation according to the prices. As a whole, though, the modern ones are much better. Of course, the old materials are available today if we prefer it. The synthetic glue of today is much better now. In the old days they used rice. Old ones were definitely hand-made because in those days there were no machines. Even the cutting procedures were done manually. Carving holes were done by hand too, like this. So, rather than whether it was better or not, the thing is, it did take more trouble to make, for sure. Also they had to make certain quantities in that manner, so it was very hard work. So, the products themselves are finished roughly than today. They had to rush. So they would plane off only the surface side and not the inside, so if you look at the back, letters are left inscribed on the timber reading "timber from so forth area" or things like that. People didn't bother even if the chest had a crack this big. They just bought according to price. In those days, only paulownia chests were available as household necessities. Back then, only half the chests were made of 100% paulownia. They used to use other wood for the hidden insides. So the chests today are much better. Old craftsmen did it all by hand because they didn't have electricity for power. Of course, the quality varied within the era. Some craftsmen did neat jobs, others didn't. Or, they'd make a fine one when they were ordered by daimyos (feudal lords). No matter how much time a craftsman may have, it is entirely up to his skill - whether he has had the experience of making good quality works in the past. It is really up to one's technique, since it is vital for one to make high quality chests within a short period. We're talking business here. If it was for pleasure, you could give it all the time you need. But giving the work a lot of time does not always result in good chests. It's more about whether the craftsman is gifted or not. This applies to making anything, right?　Whether it be furniture or whatever, what counts in the end is whether one has the skill or not when it comes across to making a masterpiece.

(Does the number of doors affect the price?) For example, if a customer asks me to add another drawer to make a 4 drawer chest, it will become a bit more expensive. (How about western chests for keeping western garments?) Some people tend to think that a western chest is cheaper because it is rather empty inside. On the contrary it is expensive because they need longer, bigger, thus more expensive wood. For these big furniture, you can't splice two woods together to make a long board. You cannot join wood together lengthwise. It'll show. You may think it won't show if you hang clothes inside, but it'll show while you carry the furniture into the house. Sidewise, you could always join together, but lengthwise you can't. If a wood is too short, you could calculate and piece together sidewise for the width, using better quality timber. Western chests require the most expensive material. (How long is the history of western chest making?) There were none in the Meiji era. They haven't been around for that long. In those days people wore kimono. There weren't any furniture with swing-open doors in those days.