Meet the Artisans – The JAPANESE GARDENS Brush Holder

I first met Mr Iwata in 2018, but I already knew about his work well before our first encounter. My blog allowed me to connect and meet with like-minded people who were also passionate about Japanese craftsmanship, not only Fude. Our discussions also involved Japanese woodworking techniques, and this made me discover Mugen Musou (Mr Iwata’s Company).

As soon as Mr Kazuma Iwata and I met, any language barrier disappeared right away. I think this is something that tends to happen when two people with a shared passion meet, we can feel each-other’s love for what connects us, as if we can speak the very same language. It’s quite magical and moving.

We are so happy to spend time together, draw some sketches and share ideas!

Since that very first encounter in 2018, we meet once or twice a year, sometimes even 3 times. We had to skip 2020 because of what happened with the worldwide travel restrictions. We usually meet when I travel to Japan, but we also met a few times in Paris.

The last time was last weekend. We had the opportunity to spend some time together in Le Louvre and also at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris where he was a guest at an event that was organised to promote Hiroshima and Yamaguchi.

It’s really a blessing to have this special connection with you and with the artisans behind the pieces that we create, I am so extremely grateful for that.

I wish you could meet him in person to see how talented and amazing he is. Hopefully one day I can virtually take you with me to Japan and show you more about his work!
In the meantime, I took the Japanese Gardens Brush Holder with me to Paris, and I asked him if he could share a little bit about the process behind this piece, I think it’s really special to hear about the process directly from the artisan himself.

It has been a challenging project but we certainly enjoyed every moment, we are so happy that we managed to find a way and make it happen.

Almost every year a new “special edition” brush holder showcases ancient woodworking techniques hand in hand with more modern techniques. Kazuma san, how do you feel modern technology helps you create our vision?

Mr Kazuma: Thanks to modern technology, it has become possible to process intricate details that were previously difficult to express. By blending traditional Japanese techniques passed down through the ages with modern technology, we have made it possible to mass-produce products that were once one-of-a-kind, enabling us to deliver stable products to a larger audience. In this way, not only by utilizing new technologies, but also through the fusion with traditional craftsmanship handed down from the past, we have been able to achieve more beautiful and meticulous processing.

Thank you for reading, and for your precious love and support!

The Japanese Gardens Brush Holder will be available on Beautylish starting on the 10th of December 2024 at 10am PT.