Interview with SAKAN Naoki Kusumi (1/4)

Born in Awaji, life as a SAKAN


Naoki was born in Awaji as the son of a famous SAKAN, Akira Kusumi. Although he rebelled in his youth to succeed his father's occupation as a wall plasterer, a trip around Europe calls him back to the world of SAKAN. He recalls his days in Awaji as the time when he was taught the basics of work. Awaji, an Island in between Mainland (Honshu) and Shikoku Island, was left behind from the building rush of the rapid growth era in the 1970s. This was lucky for a SAKAN trainee since he had many models to learn from, and the people still kept the tradition of paying enough money to various craftsmen while the craftsmen of the Mainland were suppressed under cost cut and automation. SAKAN of Awaji knew how to create wall material from earth, stone, bamboo, sand and many more natural ingredients, a tradition that was again forgotten in many other places. They usually spend one to two years to build a wall for a house. Naoki was able to learn from his father and many other craftsmen of the area. His experience of fixing houses after the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake taught him lessons of building walls that won't collapse after ten years.