Tanaka Hisao was sold as a young boy to a master dai maker. This was by no means uncommon in the last century and while I am aware that Tanaka san’s youth was filled with hardship and the struggle to master the craft assigned to him I never heard him complain about any discomfort or inequity of any sort. He did master dai making and before he was very old was considered by many plane iron blacksmiths as the greatest dai maker alive. Tanaka san was officially granted the title of “Living treasure” in his seventies, a very young age for such an honor. I met him, and my two other Japanese teachers, at a woodworking seminar in New Hampshire in the early 1980’s. Tanaka san, like Fujieada san and Miyano san, was a “Mejin no Mejin”, a Master’s Master. It was my great fortune to have known these great and celebrated craftsmen, all of whom were generous with their time and knowledge and had no reason to be so except out of choice.
These pictures were taken at Tanaka san’s shop in Miki City Japan in the late eighties.
Tanaka san at his bench. Traditional craftsmen tended to work sitting on the floor.
In the photographs below, Tanaka san is tuning a hand plane that he has made, making it ready for use.
These are photographs showing his work area, with and without his dai bench in place.
Last is Tanaka san's sharpening station.
Thank you for reading these posts. I hope I have been able to give you a glimpse of something you were not aware of and that you found some of it interesting. For my own part these men were enormously important to me as I came to understand how pathetically narrow my experience was and also that there were, and are, always many ways of efficiently and effectively solving problems and that many of the best are less than obvious. I owe much to these three Shokunin, who treated me most kindly.
MAY 01, 2012 09:13 PM
MAY 01, 2012 10:28 PM
MAY 03, 2012 10:35 PM
MAY 10, 2012 11:38 AM
Thanks! 
MAY 10, 2012 10:54 PM
As you might guess from the vests though, sadly, only one Sunday...
MAY 11, 2012 03:30 PM
MAY 12, 2012 12:53 PM
I never thought I'd love riding so much. It's one of the few things (besides climbing) that I think of nothing else besides what is in front of me. Ironically zen
MAY 12, 2012 08:25 PM
Thank you! And awesome blog! 
MAY 12, 2012 09:14 PM
MAY 12, 2012 09:52 PM
MAY 14, 2012 01:15 PM
MAY 15, 2012 12:05 AM
MAY 15, 2012 02:24 AM
MAY 15, 2012 05:12 AM
thanks...... I'm back for now if only to be a shining example of what NOT to do or become or say.........
Some times, I need my to walk away and fix my head and priorities. I think I've done that.
(emphasis on THINK)
as far as arguing with inanimate objects and winning...... statistically it's a 60/40 thing.....but I'm good with that.
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