Making handles" that determine the impression of a bag with handles

interview (i.e. television, newspaper, etc.)

Making handles" that determine the impression of a bag with handles

Work that can be done even if it rains

I understand that your career spans more than 70 years. What led you to leather craft?

It was a time when the scars of the postwar period were still fresh in my mind, before the rapid economic growth of Japan. I was 16 years old at the time, and on the advice of my parents, I was encouraged to become an apprentice to my uncle, who ran a bag shop. I remember well that I was told to get a job that I could do even if it rained, as supplies were scarce due to the reconstruction efforts. I guess they were grateful just to be able to work under a roof. In those days, I earned about 300 yen a month as a live-in worker, but it was enough to have fun. When I got a day or two off each month, I would go to Asakusa with my money in my pocket. I enjoyed going to Asakusa for one or two days off every month, going to the cinema, seeing a play at a place called "Tokiwa-za," and eating delicious curry udon noodles on the way back home. After that, I became independent and have been making bags in this workshop ever since.

The fun of creating from scratch

The number of hands-on jobs is decreasing. What do you find attractive and interesting about your job, Mr. Ishii?

For example, even if we purchase cowhide, there are seasonal differences between "spring cowhide" and "fall cowhide," and no two pieces are the same. It is a difficult and interesting process because we have to take the same parts from different shapes and textures, and make them according to the design. There is a unique feeling when you are working with good leather. It is interesting to create a bag from a single large piece of leather in this way. The other thing is that your work is seen by others. Craftsmen have a competitive streak, and I don't think they improve unless they are aware that others are watching them. I was delighted when Kichizo Yoshida, the founder of Yoshida Bakan, told me about his reputation in the past, saying, "A customer from England praised my work, saying, 'There are no craftsmen like this in England. In this way, I think only about my work whether I sleep or wake up, but even so, I am not often satisfied. Maybe it is because I am not satisfied that I have been able to continue for 70 years.

A 70-year relationship with Yoshida Kaban

What do you value and keep in mind as a craftsman in your "tripartite manufacturing" with Yoshida Kaban?

We make sure to check the designer's intentions and create the product faithfully. It would be too cramped if we had to design for our own convenience. Designers are free to design with a variety of feelings in mind. Our job is to take those drawings and turn them into samples from paper patterns. For example, we think about where to use the best leather to make the necessary number of parts from a single piece of leather. For example, for the handles we are going to use in this project, we have to use the part of the leather with the best expression to make it look good. The skill of the craftsman is to make it beautifully and without waste. My uncle, who is also a master craftsman, had a good relationship with Yoshida Kaban from that time. I took over the business, so we have been together for more than 70 years now. My master also skillfully uses difficult parts of the body and utilizes them in the right places where they would normally not be used. I learned to work by thinking and applying these techniques on my own. In any case, I tried to watch my master's work closely.

Sex and elegance are not numbers.

Did you have any difficulties from your training period until now? What were some of the difficulties and how did you overcome them?

Leather from a single cow has different softness and firmness depending on the part of the cow, so we are always thinking, "Well, what kind of leather do we have today? I always face the leather thinking, "Well, what kind of leather do I have today? It is not easy to determine the condition of the leather, so I am always willing to take on new challenges. If I always do the same work over and over again, I get bored, and if I get bored, my skill will also become dull. The "kawaki" process, which is used to adjust the thickness of the leather, is particularly difficult. The thickness and hardness of the leather varies depending on the location, so if the leather is too thick, it will be too tough, and if it is too thin, it will be too slender. The handle in particular requires a lot of attention. If the leather is hard, it is better to make it a little thinner to give it more firmness, and if it is soft, you have to make it thicker to make it feel comfortable. You have to develop a good intuition for this. Even if you strain to the thickness instructed by the calipers, you will not get the same color and texture. However, if you prepare the materials properly and carefully make the bag after having the arrangements in mind, you can make a bag with a good expression. In that sense, I think it is as difficult now as it was then. But strangely enough, the bags that were more difficult to make seem to sell better.

Work should be clean and fast.

Do you have any advice for people who make things, whether as a hobby or for work?

You have to be curious and inquisitive about everything and never get tired of doing it. Nowadays, we can do all kinds of work on a computer, but it is still a good idea to be particular about the tools you use. Even with pens, notebooks, and bags, I feel that people who use them with love and care do a good job. I am not a "konya no shirobakama" (a man who wears a white hakama in a konya shop), but I don't have many bags of my own. Even so, I always sharpen my knives for cutting leather to keep them sharp. What impressed me about my master's work was that his knives were always straight. He must have been very good at sharpening and using his knives. It is not easy to sharpen a knife, because even now I tend to sharpen my knives at an angle. Also, I think it is better to look at the speed rather than the cleanliness of the finished product as an indicator of progress. Just because you do it slowly doesn't mean you can do it beautifully. There is a rhythm, or a certain amount of speed, in the work. So even if you are making something as a hobby, if you want to make it better, you should try to set a deadline as if it were work, and try to make it beautiful and fast. I think you will always come to value the set-up and preparation necessary for that.

Recipe for this issue

Why are we sharing this recipe with you?

I am good at making bags with handles, so other craftsmen often ask me how to make handles. Since it is the part of the bag that is touched the most, and it greatly affects not only durability but also usability, craftsmen are very sensitive to it. I hope to introduce the process of making handles in this issue, as it may be a part that is not often taught.

Interview: Kentaro Iida
Photo: Tara Kawano