Odate

I was recently told that this book by Toshio Odate was a good one, so I picked it up and I have to agree. There’s something about the way that Odate writes that displays his passion and ethics without being boastful or over the top. This book is a narrative about the shokunin (a master craftsman and artisan) and their tools and workspace. One of the most interesting things I’ve found is how Odate emphasizes that a shokunin is not just a craftsman, but one with a social consciousness and a certain attitude about their work. Respect and honour seem to be very important parts of everyday life, be it in the sharpening of a blade, or the making of a door. I used to work at a window and door manufacturer in one of my engineering jobs, and looking back now there was definitely something absent in the way that they made doors. When you stamp things out by the hundred each day its very hard for someone to have some kind of moral basis upon which to base their daily efforts.

Okay, before I get too long winded...

I’m definitely a person that learns by doing, and usually that means I screw up the first couple of things I do...well maybe more than a couple. Here’s my take on a simple marking gauge...just a couple wedges really and an old exacto blade, but I’m excited to get to use it.


I’ve started the process of making a lot of my own tools, which will in turn allow me to make better tools, that will then allow me to make even better tools. It’s a neat process to be caught up in.