Takashi Tomii
Mr. Takashi Tomii, who works in Oguni, Niigata Prefecture, where the snow is deep and beautiful. There are many fans for the beautiful and unique view of the world where usability and intelligence coexist. What Tomii values in production is very simple. "Making what you want" and "Making something that makes the material, creator, and user become one inseparable material through use".
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Here are the writer's words:
"I want to make things that are comfortable to live with. I want to make things that are in the middle of everyone's lives. I think it doesn't matter what material you use, but for me it was wood. Sawari. When you look at the comfort, the faint scent, and the old wood, they all look very nice.The things that naturally invite a smile when you pick them up.You can use them from a clean state and use them as your own. I aim to create something that attracts me more when I'm exhausted."
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Takashi Tomii Biography (quoted from the author's website)
Born in Niigata prefecture in 1976.
From 1994, he attended high school in Oregon, USA for one year. It was a small village where forestry was the main industry, but it was there that he became interested in trees. After returning to Japan, he often picks up branches from the nearby mountains and makes butter knives and other items. Around this time, I began to read the books of Tadashi Inamoto and Hiroshi Fujikado, and became strongly attracted to manufacturing using wood, which is a renewable resource, and living surrounded by nature and natural materials. I dream that I want to be the sustenance of. Since I started living alone, I love cooking, so I collect cooking utensils and tableware and smile every day. Although he went on to graduate school, he was not suitable for becoming a scholar. I had no choice but to do what I wanted to do, so I went to the path of woodworking.
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2002 Studied woodworking at Forest Takumi Juku in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, and went to the Northern Alps on weekends.
2004 Joined Oak Village Co., Ltd.
2008 Moved to Shigaraki-cho, Koka-shi, Shiga, and opened a studio in Dosenbo, Minamiyamashiro-mura, Soraku-gun, Kyoto. This year, he was selected for the 6th Exhibition of Wooden Chairs in Living.
2009 First solo exhibition. Many solo exhibitions since then.
Selected for the 83rd National Exhibition for the first time. Selected every year since then.
2012 Received the New Face Award at the 86th Kokuten.
2015 Moved home and studio to Oguni-cho, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.
2017 Recommended as an associate member of the Kokugakai at the 91st Kokuten.
2019 Received Associate Member Excellence Award at the 93rd National Exhibition.