Perched in a place where the mountains of Yoshino unfold in every direction, there is a quiet workshop. If you open the window, the wind will drift through, carrying with it the gentle fragrance of the trees. The artisan who works here had first set his sights on this path when he was just a high school student in Sapporo, Hokkaido. He had longed to apprentice under the master he admired, and after graduating from university, he finally started at a workshop in Hyogo. Through his master’s introduction, he later moved to Nara, where new encounters and a new way of life shaped the style he encompasses today.

The wood he works with is Yoshino cedar. He planes the wood, gives it form, and layers it with Urushi (Japanese lacquer) until it transforms into vessels that are meant to grace the dining table. In the past, he had often created vivid works with brightly-colored Urushi, but now he has settled into tones that harmonize with the cedar’s natural hues and grain. As the years have passed, his expression has deepened; whereas his style has gained a sense of richness and maturity.

The cedar he uses comes from Hanai Shoten. When he is in need of materials, he personally visits, choosing each piece with his own eyes. It is, as he says, an environment that sustains his craft—one of rare fortune.

The Hanai family welcomed him—who had come all the way from Sapporo— like he was one of their own. They share meals several times a week, celebrate birthdays together, and the children fondly call him ‘Hiromi-chan’, as if he were an older brother. Such warmth had become more than companionship; it became a bond that goes beyond blood, a bond that supports his everyday life and brings inspiration to his creations.

“I have been able to continue creating because of the environment around me,” he says. In those words lies not only his devotion to the craft, but the affection he has for the deep-rooted community of Yoshino, Nara, that has intertwined itself with his work.