Masayuki Ogura
Masayuki Ogura is a Master craftsman who lives in the Kiso area of the Japanese Alps. His studio has a view of the nearby forest and is full of natural light. He creates his pieces using traditional techniques but with modern designs.
Masayuki creates polished wooden bowls, trays, cups and jugs. He also produces, and restores, traditional Japanese lacquer ware.
He designs all his pieces and makes them by hand, chopping the wood, shaping it and then polishing and sanding it. The wood is first cut, taking into consideration the grain of the wood and of course the piece being created. Masayuki then places the wood on the lathe and begins to shape it. For the Tea trays Masayuki puts swirls on the bottom to ensure that when they are used the cups do not slip around.
All the hand tools he uses are designed and made by him. He believes that this helps to bring the piece to life,putting some of the craftsman into the wood, and giving the owner a practical but, living, breathing piece of art.
The wood used varies according to the piece that is being made. Above all, Masayuki wants people to be able to use his pieces for everyday use, and for many years to come. They are carefully designed, and carefully crafted.
Masayuki shares his space with his father, Eichi Ogura, one of the most famous wood craftsmen in Japan. They design and work on pieces together using their shared knowledge and experience. Japan has always been famous for it’s high quality woodcrafts and Lacquer-ware. There is now less demand for these crafts, as cheaper copies are factory produced and readily available. Lacquer-ware is a dying art. Each piece has to be polished five times using lacquer, either from Japan or China, and polishing stones, designed specifically for the task.
This event is a rare opportunity to view, and purchase some rare natural wood pieces.
Nagano Prefecture is situated in the heart of the Japanese Alps. 4 hours from Tokyo and only a few hours from some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.
Contact details:
Masayuki Ogaru
Website: http://yama.to/ogura
Email: info@yama.to