Our base encompasses the area stretching from the urban heart of Kyoto to the mountainous region of Keihoku, located an hour by car northwest of the city. While the “Forest of Craft” is a symbol for our work that is not limited to any particular region, our efforts in Kyoto-Keihoku can serve as a model for others to follow. In Keihoku we are focusing on two initiatives. These initiatives have the purpose of connecting the forest, which is the fountainhead of all craftsmanship, and crafts, which are a manifestation of people’s enduring connection with nature.
Planting, nurturing, receiving, making, using, and repairing—
these acts surrounding “making” hold the key to restoring the reciprocity between people and nature that has been fragmented by modern industrial systems.At the Forest of Craft, these cycles of action form the core of our learning and practice.
Through forest regeneration, material cultivation, tool making, and repair,
we explore ways of making that move in rhythm with life itself.
The Forest of Craft is a project that explores the meaning of “making” that exists between people and nature.The old Chinese character for 藝 (gei) —the “gei” in kōgei (craft)—is said to depict a person carefully planting a young seedling.
Though it may look complex, we believe this character captures the very essence of art and craft: a gesture of care, cultivation, and creation.At the center of the Forest of Craft emblem, a pair of hands cradles a small seedling.
Beside them are simple tools—a mallet and a plane—symbols of human work and touch.
The energy of making flows from these hands and tools to the mountains and rivers, and eventually returns once more to our own hands.
We are making the area stretching from the urban heart of Kyoto to the mountainous region of Keihoku, located an hour by car northwest of the city, our base. While the “Forest of Craft” is a symbol for our work that is not limited to any particular region, our efforts in Kyoto-Keihoku can serve as a model for others to follow. In Keihoku we are focusing on two initiatives. These initiatives have the purpose of connecting the forest, which is the fountainhead of all craftsmanship, and crafts, which are a manifestation of people’s enduring connection with nature.
The Forest of Craft begins from a craft-based way of seeing—
one that looks upstream to where materials originate and asks how making can give back to the forests, mountains, and communities that sustain it.We view the diverse skills, people, and climates that nurture craft as one living ecology,
and work to restore the relationships that bind them together.Our mission is to cultivate the foundation for a regenerative culture—
where craft becomes a medium for renewing the balance between nature, society, and the ways we live.
Japanese Urushi lacquer is a sustainable natural resource which can be harvested from Urushi trees after 10-15 years of growth. In Japan, the Urushi tree is a familiar and useful plant which has been cultivated near settlements for over 10,000 years. It has been used as an adhesive, and to prevent water damage and rust.