Special interview with Komiya Shoten and Sugatakatachi

"Komiya Shoten x Sugata Katachi DOOR HANDLE UMBRELLA" launched in May 2022.

This time, staff from Komiya Shoten visited the Sugata Katachi Shop in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, to conduct an interview.
This talk will be about the project itself, as well as the "here and now" of manufacturing, and the world we can see and the world that unfolds from there. It will be delivered in the form of a dialogue between door handle master Yasushi Takahashi and Tanaka from the manufacturing department at Komiya Shoten, who is in charge of this project.

Photo by Orita / Setting by Tagawa

"We tried to create a space that would be welcoming even to experienced buyers," says Takahashi. The special time that flows through the shop invites visitors into the world of Sugatakatachi.

From the development of "Komiya Shoten x Sugatakatachi" to its completion

Tanaka: Thank you for accepting the collaboration project with Komiya Shoten this time.
Thanks to you, we have received a lot of positive feedback from our customers.


Takahashi : Thank you. It was my first time making an umbrella handle, but I really enjoyed working on it. In the past, I had a project where I repurposed a coat hanger into a pot handle, but I had never thought of using an umbrella. When I heard about the project, I thought it was a good idea.


Tanaka: I'm grateful. I've always thought of him as someone who creates interesting things, so I was very happy when he readily agreed.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we haven't been able to meet in person very often, so I was looking forward to meeting and talking with you in person today.


Takahashi: I'm glad to hear you say that. Tanaka-san handled the details of the correspondence, so it was very easy to work with even though we couldn't meet. At the same time, I was working on a new collection with a designer in Milan, but we were able to turn it into a product without meeting him even once. It doesn't matter if you meet or not, once you start, you can do it.


Tanaka: When you attach the handle that you made this time to an umbrella, it will look like this. Please try putting the umbrella in.

Takahashi: Is this a hemp umbrella?
I rarely praise the things I make, but this is very nice.


Both Tanaka Sugata Katachi's products and Komiya Shoten's umbrellas are handmade items that have different expressions when you look closely, so it's interesting that when you combine the two, you can get a stronger sense of their individuality.

Make with your hands what is used with your hands.
"Interaction" through objects

Tanaka: What was your intention when making this watch?


When I create Takahashi -gata, I try to carve out the surfaces with a free mind. For example, like a hand-formed ceramic tea bowl, the traces of the maker's hand and the hand of the user come into contact and meet through the tea bowl. Rather than telling the bowl how it should be used or how it should feel, I hope for it to fit perfectly in the hand, and that's what makes it rewarding.


Tanaka: Manufacturing products that consider the user is very rewarding.


Takahashi: I think craftsmanship is like unrequited love. You always work with the user in mind. It's a solitary job, but sometimes you get requests from unexpected places, like with this project. I'm honestly happy to be given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Tanaka: When I make umbrellas every day, I also think about how to improve the shape, how to make them easier to open, how to make them easier to fold, and so on. No matter how many umbrellas I make, the desire to make a better umbrella emerges, and I feel like there is no goal. This is also the best part of it (laughs).


Takahashi : That's right. Even if I'm satisfied with something, another problem appears, so I have to face it again and again, but at the same time, isn't that the fun of making things? It's fun to look back carefully at the quality of the work and see the number of works increasing. I think that's why I've been able to continue for so long.


Tanaka: This isn't limited to manufacturing, but continuing something for a long time is very important.


Takahashi : Yes, that's right, because continuing itself becomes a tradition. However, I still have a short time before my work becomes a tradition. I always think that traditional crafts are big jobs that can only be done because they have been continued for a long time. I'm very envious, and even if I devoted my whole life to it, I would never be able to catch up with the history that has been cultivated by generations. I really admire the scale of traditional crafts.

Through contemporary art activities
Towards manufacturing that enriches our lives

Tanaka Takahashi started his career as an artist, so I was surprised to learn that he is so conscious of traditional crafts.


Takahashi: When I was young, I was involved in cutting-edge contemporary art. At that time, I didn't know anything about traditional crafts. My life was solely dedicated to the pursuit of beauty.
But now, I believe that thinking about how to bring happiness to myself, my family, friends, customers, and everyone I interact with leads to creating products that enrich our lives. And in that process, I pursue beauty to the fullest. I want to continue doing this.

"Next time, I want to improve on this point." The output of ideas for the next project, which gets lively during the conversation, is something only creators can do. It never runs out.

Tanaka: The handset in this project is designed to be easy to hold and beautiful, and I think it's a product that will enrich your life. I'd like to continue this project while talking with Takahashi about various things.


Takahashi: The affinity between the door handle and the umbrella handle is interesting. I'd love to do that too. More than anything, I'm very happy when I hear from customers that it sold. I'm an impatient person, so I want to know the customer's reaction as soon as possible. I want to hear the voices of customers who have seen the product as soon as possible. After all, good things are born from interactions with customers.


Tanaka: We have our own modest shop, and our sales staff hear directly from customers, but I also try to have many opportunities to interact with customers, for example by holding umbrella-making workshops.


Takahashi : Handicrafts are made with the user in mind. I use the door handle as a medium to connect with customers. How do I connect with people and society through the things I make? It just so happened that the door handle was the medium I used to connect with people, but I think that's how it is with all jobs and professions. And it's purely satisfying to know that someone is happy because of something you've created. I hope that the next time we do something with that kind of potential.