The Power of Wood: Artist Interviews
For “The Power of Wood Exhibition,” we asked woodworkers whom we regularly collaborate with to create special pieces.
While ceramics and woodwork differ in materials, production techniques, handling, strengths, and weaknesses, they share many commonalities, such as the makers’ mindset, passion, and the charm of their items as functional tabletop pieces.
To explore “The Power of Wood,” we would like to share the thoughts of these artisans through three distinct themes.

What I love about wood: Why choose the world of woodworking? The reasons for being captivated by wood.
How I use it: A guide to enjoying wooden items in daily life, featuring unique usage tips from the artist who know the material best.
“Thank you” to wood: The gratitude toward wood shared by many woodworkers.

■Question 1: What I love about wood

Tatsuya Okano

I love how the color of the wood grain changes over the years, and how it gains character through scratches and stains. It feels like the piece grows old together with the person using it.

Takaaki Inui

I entered this world partly due to the influence of my father, who runs a woodworking business. However, it was during my time studying in Germany, when I saw the smooth, worn texture of church handrails and chairs, that I thought, “Wood is absolutely incredible.”
Until then, I had only looked at contemporary woodwork and hadn’t paid much attention to wood that had aged for hundreds or thousands of years.
Iron that has passed a millennium or two also looks amazing—decayed and heavily textured.
Reclaimed wood already has a beautiful patina, but if you take a shelf board, for instance, and repurpose it into the backrest of a chair, it begins to age in a completely different way. I am fascinated by this kind of aging process, where the wood seems to “reclaim its luster,” a trait unique to old timber.
I feel that wood continues to breathe in a very real way even after it is cut, giving it a sort of “main character energy” (laughs).
Then there is the gentleness of wood.
It is neither too hard nor too soft.
Softwoods like cedar have a wonderfully kind nature: if a piece bumps into someone, it dents itself rather than hurting the person (laughs).
It protects others by taking the damage.
And even those dents become part of its charm.
I also love the sounds during production—the rhythmic rasp of a saw or the smooth glide of a hand plane.
They blend beautifully with the music I like to listen to.

However, if an item is made entirely of wood, it can feel a bit heavy. That is why I always incorporate other materials like metal to keep things light and airy.
Using metal effectively makes a difference. For example, iron is naturally better for reinforcements because it can be kept thin and flexible, whereas wood might snap. I hope to bring out the best qualities of each material together.

Kotaro Ogura

I think wood possesses a certain softness that gently embraces ceramics, such as when used for trays and coasters.
For instance, the sound of ceramic meeting wood is incredibly pleasant.
Furthermore, no two wood grains are identical.
I enjoy framing the grain right in front of me and turning it into a finished piece.
Working with given parameters and finishing a piece based on what nature provided suits my personality better than creating something from absolute zero.

Selecting timber is also crucial, so I buy a lot of wood and keep it stacked.
When I first started out independently, I couldn’t tell good wood from bad, and I made plenty of mistakes at timber auctions. But through repeating that process, I arrived at where I am today.
The timber that everyone else is looking for isn’t necessarily the best choice for me. Sometimes, wood that nobody else glances at is the perfect fit for my specific work.
Encountering the right wood is a truly important moment for me.

Accepting the natural grain as it is given—whether it is cracked or warped—I want to continue working without resisting nature, utilizing its inherent qualities.

Hirotomo Doi

In Wajima, where I did my training, people used to say that a dining table set only with ceramics and glass feels a bit dry.
Introducing wood adds a subtle richness and warmth, bringing life to the table.

Moreover, every single piece of wood is remarkably distinct.
For example, just looking at this Jomon cedar—with its extraordinary density of grain and the lines on this offcut—allows me to imagine the environment where the tree grew and see its history.
Similarly, when you plane wood from the Kamakura period, it comes alive once more.
Those are the moments when I truly feel that wood is a living, organic material.

Hitoshi Fujisaki

I am captivated by the unique character of each piece of wood.
Originally, I worked at a furniture factory where I produced items exactly as directed by architectural firms.
Since starting my own practice, I can use different wood for every project, and I find it highly engaging to figure things out as I go.

Character can manifest in the grain, or in how much the wood warps and shifts.
Some pieces don’t move at all initially but suddenly begin to shift later on.
I particularly like aged timber because the grain becomes tight and dense.
This gives the wood an excellent texture and makes it resistant to warping. Coniferous wood, for instance, develops a remarkably dense grain after about a century.

Koichi Tomiyama

I find that wood is a material that easily evokes a sense of fondness through use.
Every single tree is different, and you can enjoy how it changes over time.
With varying grain patterns, wormholes, and other traits, even the exact same species of wood offers a different weight and tactile feel in the hand.
Features like knots, which are generally considered flaws, can strike me as beautiful depending on the piece. Ultimately, whether something is beautiful or not is for the observer to decide.

Masahiro Hiraoka

The greatest appeal of wood lies in the fact that it is a natural material, possesses a pleasant softness, and exudes a distinct warmth.
Each timber type has its own characteristics in terms of color, grain, and hardness. While these differences can make the material challenging to work with, that complexity is precisely where I find its charm.

■Question 2: How I use it!

Tatsuya Okano

Since many of the wooden plates I make are relatively large, they work wonderfully for serving pasta and salad together as a single-plate meal.
My wife often uses them to serve stir-fried vegetables or mapo tofu in generous, family-style portions.
Recently, customers have mentioned using them outdoors. Being highly resistant to breaking when dropped is a wonderful advantage of wooden plates.

Takaaki Inui

I live my daily life almost as if I am constantly camping, so I am not sure how practical this will be for most people, but I use a large cutting board as a substitute for a standard plate.
I use it as an individual serving platter for myself, or as a trivet for pots.
It is incredibly versatile; you can serve pizza on it, of course, but it is also useful right from the dough-kneading stage.

People might worry about mold or the fact that wood cannot go in the dishwasher, but I prefer that users enjoy it freely without being overly fastidious.
Knife marks may stand out at first, but as they accumulate, they turn into a beautiful texture.
Additionally, wood is peerless for serving bread. It absorbs excess moisture instead of letting it pool, keeping the bread perfectly crisp to the very last bite.
Since you can slice the bread right on the serving piece, it also saves you from washing an extra dish (laughs).
I occasionally use wooden pieces for salads too, but since I also enjoy ceramics, I don’t force myself to use wood exclusively.

Kotaro Ogura

Wooden tabletop items can seem intimidating to care for at first glance, but once you get used to them, they are remarkably easy to live with.
I always tell people, “Please use them heavily without worrying about being precious with them.”
Stains and scratches easily transform into character and depth, and wooden pieces are wonderful to let children use.
I use mine for bread, salads, gyoza, seared bonito, stir-fries, and more.
Lacquerware pieces are also excellent for simmered dishes.
I don’t mind marks left by knives and forks at all. Antique European wooden plates often feature distinct fork and knife scars, which look incredibly handsome.

Introducing even a single wooden item brings a refreshing warmth to the dining table.
They are also wonderfully easy to take outdoors. On pleasant days, I like to carry a table out and have my meals in the garden.

Hirotomo Doi

Beyond traditional items like trays and soup bowls where wood is standard, I enjoy crafting tea and coffee utensils from wood.
Since matcha and sencha bowls are typically made of ceramic, my approach might be considered unorthodox or personal rather than mainstream, but creating these items from lacquer and wood holds deep meaning for me.

They are light, unbreakable, and exceptionally easy to carry.
I focus on the fact that you can travel with them while still enjoying an authentic flavor. Therefore, the shapes and sizes of my coffee drippers and tea utensils are designed with outdoor tea gatherings in mind.
Drinking freshly brewed coffee in the great outdoors is an absolute pleasure.

Hitoshi Fujisaki

I first started making wooden plates because I wanted to present French cuisine on them for an event.
As I began studying French tableware, looking closely at the details made me realize that their forms were originally inspired by Chinese designs, which traveled over via the Silk Road.
Naturally, that means they harmonize beautifully with Japanese cuisine as well. Using native woods like zelkova or magnolia gives a distinctly Japanese impression, whereas using imported timbers like walnut or purpleheart creates a Western feel.

Cutting boards are incredibly convenient.
I apply walnut oil to protect the surface from knife scratches. When it starts to look dry, you can simply crush a walnut to extract the oil and rub it in. If that feels like too much trouble, olive oil works perfectly fine too.

Koichi Tomiyama

I regularly use a coffee scoop that I originally made for my own personal use.
My chopsticks, cups, cheese boards, cutting boards, and butter knives have all been in constant use for about ten years.
Aside from wood, my tabletop pieces consist mostly of ceramics and enamelware.

Masahiro Hiraoka

Currently, cutlery is the mainstay of my production. Cutlery is an intimate tool that comes into direct contact with your hands and lips.
I would be delighted if people could first experience the wonderful appeal of wood through all five senses by using wooden cutlery!

■Question 3: “Thank you” to wood

Tatsuya Okano

For woodworkers and wood artisans, timber is an indispensable presence. I always strive to create items that feel wonderful to use and will last a very long time.
Crafting inevitably produces offcuts. Because I want to honor the material and avoid waste, I use those remaining fragments down to the smallest possible size to create small accessories.
I feel that using the timber completely, without waste, is my way of expressing gratitude.

Takaaki Inui

I want to treasure the initial feeling of “That looks amazing!” when I look at a piece of wood.
If that striking beauty is lost in the finished piece, the work loses its meaning. I try to craft in a way that highlights that quality.
I want to ensure the inherent beauty of the wood is never compromised.
It feels a bit embarrassing to put into words, but to me, wood is simply something beautiful and cool, and I am deeply grateful for that aspect of it.

Kotaro Ogura

While I love wood as a creative material, I also draw immense energy from living trees.
I feel that trees have a unique power to define a space. For example, in architecture, if a large tree stands tall and casts its canopy like a green roof, the entire atmosphere changes.
Even when I go out into town, I find myself instinctively looking for trees.
A tree naturally enhances the mood of a place. People gather around it, and it makes you want to sit down and read a book.
Trees change continuously with the seasons—growing, leafing out, and turning beautiful colors.
Kudan, where Hanada is located, is a beautiful area filled with greenery, which makes it one of my favorite places.

Hirotomo Doi

I am deeply grateful for natural lacquer (urushi).
Although my skin is generally sensitive and prone to rashes from various things, for some reason, I have never reacted badly to lacquer.
I can only view it as a beautiful stroke of fate.
Thanks to that, I am able to continue this line of work. I am truly fortunate.

Hitoshi Fujisaki

I hope this doesn’t sound bad, but I don’t actually think about it consciously all that much (laughs).
However, though it was unintentional on my part, the amount of timber I store seems to be much larger than average. Visitors to my workshop often remark with surprise, “You really love wood, don’t you?”
Without even realizing it, I accumulated this entire stock over time.

Koichi Tomiyama

I have been working in woodworking for eleven years now. The fact that I make a living today is entirely thanks to wood, so I cannot help but be deeply grateful to it.

Masahiro Hiraoka

While it certainly depends on the specific woodworking technique, I generally find that shaping wood requires a tremendous amount of time and care.
The polishing and lacquering processes after the initial shaping are quiet, meticulous tasks that demand even more dedication.
Furthermore, processes like drying the raw timber can take years.
As someone who started out almost entirely self-taught, wood continues to present me with challenging puzzles. Yet, it is precisely because of these challenges that I have grown, developing patience and resilience. That is something I am genuinely thankful for.