Different beauty

 

FUSHI JOURNAL

NOV. 2023

異なる美

Different beauty

古い記録によれば、農閑期の5ヶ月で5,000本近くの杓子を一家で製作していたことがわかっている。1ヶ月1,000本。３、4日で100本、1日30本近くを作っていたことになる。現在、最短でも1時間で1本しか作れない私には信じられない領域。よほど質が悪かったのだろうと思っていたが、50年以上前に作られたものを見ても粗さはなかった。量産の中で生み出される美しさが有道しゃくしの魅力であり、おそらく白洲正子はそれを理解し、有道しゃくしはしゃくしの中の王様と言ったのだ。今、彼女が私が作ったものを見たら、何というだろう。

According to old records, it is known that a family produced nearly 5,000 wooden ladles during the 5-month off-season. That's around 1,000 ladles per month, about 100 in 3 to 4 days, and almost 30 ladles per day. For someone like me who can only make one ladle in the shortest time of one hour, it's beyond belief. I used to think they must have been of poor quality, but even those made over 50 years ago didn't lack refinement. The beauty produced in mass production is the charm of Uto-shakushi, and perhaps Masako Shirasu understood that when she referred to Uto-shakushi as the king of ladles. If she were to see what I have made now, I wonder what she would say.