Creators Diary How to make everyone's time vol.2 Fumihiko Sano Part 1 (Architect / Artist)

"Use with Google Calendar to check daily tasks"

D-BROS Creators Diary The second interview to ask people who actually use the system about daily schedule management.

The second is Mr. Fumihiko Sano, an architect and artist who has an unusual career as a craftsman of a Sakuyoya carpenter and an architect, and is active both in Japan and abroad as a cultural envoy of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

I asked Mr. Sano, who expresses not only architecture but also art and products in a wide range of fields, how he switches his head every day and is proceeding with the project.

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The trigger was from a furniture store that I accidentally entered

--How did you become an architect?

"I was originally a sukiya carpenter, a carpenter who builds tea rooms and restaurants.After graduating from high school, I was wondering what to do to live.What I liked and could last a lifetime was to make things and draw pictures when I thought about it. But is an artist a profession? How will it be? I couldn't see it concretely. Around that time, there was a building that I was very interested in on the road that I took every day, and one day I took the plunge and went in. Then, there was a reservation-based interior shop selling antique Scandinavian furniture, and the first-class furniture and interiors purchased at auctions such as Denmark and Christie's were all around.It was a great shock.I was overwhelmed and asked if I would work part-time if I was talking to someone who served me, so I decided to work there.

When you start working, there are houses such as John Lennon's house, Rockefeller Jr.'s house, Konosuke Matsushita's house, famous Japanese inns such as Tawaraya and Wakuden, and tea rooms such as Ise Jingu, Daitokuji, and Urasenke. It was a construction shop of Takamine's Sukiya.As the number of tatami rooms decreased, it was Scandinavian furniture that the master thought about what kind of furniture would suit Japanese architecture.It was a shop that was created to procure furniture that fits the property that I worked on. "

 

 

--It's a fateful encounter.

"is that so.As I worked, I was gradually attracted to design, and I knew about Arne Jacobsen, an architect, and wanted to become an architect. I think many people think of Jacobsen as a product designer, but he was also an architect in urban planning in Denmark.When he worked on the SAS Royal Hotel, he designed everything from lounge chairs to lamps, cutlery and other tableware, ashtrays to faucets and door handles. When I learned that, if I became an architect, I might be able to work on everything in space. And what you can experience at this construction shop will be more special than going to college. With that in mind, I consulted with my master about making him an apprentice, and decided to work as a live-in carpenter apprentice. After that, I trained as a craftsman and gained experience at various sites.

After training, I consulted with my master to become an architect when I became a craftsman from a disciple, and became independent. From there, I went on an overseas trip for the first time and saw many things such as European ruins and architecture for two months. I went around. After working at a design office in Tokyo for about two years, I started my own office. "

--- Are you applying what you learned when you were a craftsman to your current job?

"is that so.If you are a carpenter, you can easily understand the nature of the material because you can actually cut it with a canna or dig a hole, such as what kind of wood this wood is and how it feels to the touch. I also learned how to actually make things. After that, when I entered the design office, everyone wanted to make it look like this on the drawing, but there were quite a few things that I couldn't really imagine, such as whether it would have this thickness.

When I was a carpenter, I was very worried whether I could really become an architect as it is. Because I didn't build a house by myself, let alone design it. That's why I had young craftsmen gather at night to experience the process of renovating a friend's house at night and designing and constructing it myself.
Besides, I went to see architecture and exhibitions somewhere all day on holidays such as temples and shrines, contemporary architecture, antiques such as bowls, crafts, design, and contemporary art.

You might have thought it was a weird thing at a construction shop, but because of that, you can talk about contemporary art, antiques, and architecture, and you can actually handle and make it. I have a lot of knowledge and experience at that time to be able to work across various genres.

Making use of my experience as a carpenter, using various techniques and materials, old and new.Creating and outputting contexts and concepts through knowledge of various genres. I think this is one of my strengths that no one else has. "

 

What we value is the fusion of tradition and modernity

--- Mr. Sano's work is based on Japanese tradition, but I feel something sophisticated and modern.

"Yes, I'm always conscious of that. I'm aiming to integrate authentic things with new technologies and materials, not just to change the shape that can be done now, or to return it to the old shape.

One of my jobs is renovation, but I am aware that I am familiar with the space but have changed it a little.There is a mixture of new and old ones. By having both of them, I think about the balance that the space itself does not become too intentional, and for that purpose I design while adding elements of modern technology, materials, and newness. "

 

--Are you conscious of adapting to the local area while valuing Japanese traditions and culture in your overseas activities?

"Yes. From 2016 to 2017, I went to various countries for about 9 months as a cultural envoy of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In various countries around the world, I used local materials to work with local people. We will build a local-style hut that is conscious of the tea room. In the space created in this way, we will have a tea party or hospitality in the form of a local style. We were doing such a project. "