Osamu Matsuzaki
Tochigi, Japan

Osamu Matsuzaki works in a 100-year old studio that used to be a farmhouse in a remote location in Tochigi.  Inside the property is a woodshop, a lacquer warehouse, and a storage warehouse. In most studios wood carving and lacquer application are handled by different people, Matsuzaki does it all himself. He carves wood from chestnut and other tree types with chisels and planes and leaves it in a tentative shape for a while. Since wood is a material that can change shape for several years even after it cut down, he exposes it to wind and rain for a specific period of time. Sometimes pieces are worked into their wooden form for several years before they are finished with several layers of lacquer.