FUKUDA Tōru (woodworker)
Written by TOMIKAWA Kyōko
Kyūsui (吸水: Water Absorption) is an artwork that can truly be called chōzetsu-gikō (超絶技巧: transcendent craftsmanship).
I encountered this piece for the first time at the Mitsui Memorial Museum’s exhibition “Taking Transcendent Craftsmanship into the Future! With the DNA of Marvellous Meiji Craftsmanship (超絶技巧、未来へ！ 明治工芸とそのDNA)”.
It was then that the name FUKUDA Tōru (福田 亨) became etched in my memory.
Kyūsui (吸水: Water Absorption) (2022), by FUKUDA Tōru (福田 亨)
Materials (8 different kinds of wood are used): Ebony, Japanese boxwood, Kuro-gaki (黒柿)*, Willow, Satine, Jindai-nara (神代楢: ancient oak)**, Jindai-tochi (神代栃: ancient horse-chestnut), Jindai-nire (神代楡: ancient elm).
*kuro-gaki: A very old and very rare Japanese persimmon tree with black-coloured heartwood. (It is said that only one in a million trees is kuro-gaki.)
**Jindai (神代: ancient) refers to wood that has changed to a dark indigo colour after being buried underground for decades.
Three swallowtail butterflies, each less than five centimetres in length, extend their thin, long mouths to draw water from transparent droplets.
Amazingly, both the swallowtail butterflies and the transparent droplets are made of wood.
Close-Up of “Water Absorption”
One type of wood inlay*** is called horikomi-zōgan (彫込象嵌: carved inlay). However, FUKUDA combined furniture woodworking techniques and sashimono (指物: traditional Japanese joinery) to develop his own “three-dimensional wood inlay” method which he calls rittai-mokuzōgan (立体木象嵌). FUKUDA’s work, “Water Absorption”, was created using this technique.
What exactly is “carved inlay”?
For example, when creating a heart-shaped inlay pattern, a heart-shaped piece is carved out of a board, then a precisely cut heart-shaped piece of different wood is fitted into the carved out space.
Another type of wood inlay technique is called tsukiita-zōgan (突板象嵌). Here, a thin board with a heart-shaped cutout is glued onto a board, then a heart cut out from another piece of wood is fitted into the cutout space. Other techniques that fall into the same category include Yosegi-zōgan (寄木象嵌: marquetry) and itonoko-zōgan (糸鋸象嵌: fretwork inlay).
Among all of the wood inlay techniques, carved inlay is considered supreme, but it is time-consuming and requires patience. Consequently, production costs are high, and it is rarely mass-produced.
(Reference: The History and Techniques of Wood Inlay (『木象嵌の歴史と技』) by HASHIMOTO Motohiro (橋本 元広))
***Inlay (象嵌 zōgan) is a technique of creating patterns by fitting other materials into the surface of metal, wood, etc.
1. Legs of a Hercules beetle in production.
2&3. Niwa – Asian fawn lily – (Niwa -カタクリ-) (2023).
Materials: Japanese bird cherry, Ebony, Ancient oak, Kuro-gaki, Japanese spindle tree, Japanese bigleaf magnolia, Mochi tree, Mountain cherry, Willow, Pink ivory, Peroba rosa, Pericopsis, Purpleheart, Mahogany.
From Origami to Wooden Furniture
FUKUDA was an origami master. He even became the representative of Hokkaido at a convention hosted by the Japan Origami Academic Society in junior high school. When it came time to choose a high school, he struggled between selecting mathematics for origami or art.
FUKUDA ultimately chose the Hokkaido Otoineppu Arts & Craft High School, which is located in one of the least populated villages of Hokkaido. “Here, I could study painting and also take woodworking classes to create three-dimensional objects. I thought it was perfect for origami, so I decided to further my education there.” Until the autumn of his freshman year, he was immersed in origami, but then… “I began to feel limited, I could not see further. For instance, even if I folded a city out of one piece of paper measuring 10 meters on each side, what would it mean?”
When FUKUDA grew disillusioned with origami, he turned to working with wood. “I started to carve wood and found it fascinating to fit different coloured wooden parts together. My teacher told me this was mokuzōgan (木象嵌: wood inlay), and that’s when I first learned the technique’s name.”
However, at that time, “to make a living in the future” he was aiming to become a furniture maker.
He enrolled in the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto (TASK) where he could learn all the processes of furniture making from lumbering to finishing. He eagerly devoted himself to this work, and even spent three months on a chair for his graduation project. However, FUKUDA felt again a sense of limitation.
“I could never surpass Hans Wegner. Perhaps, I could only ever create low-cost versions of masterpieces.”
Although joining a furniture manufacturing company, his desire to “challenge himself in craftsmanship” grew stronger.
Should he continue making furniture, or should he explore another path?
It was at this point that he remembered the carved inlay work he encountered in high school.
1. Sculpting knives lined up in his atelier. He also makes his own planes.
2. Preliminary drawing and carved parts of a Hercules Beetle in production.
Creating What I Love
“When I was making furniture, I used to consider the people who would use it and create pieces that suited their needs. For example, I would make low chairs for those of small stature. One day, however, I was shocked when I visited a solo exhibition of metalwork artist MITSUTA Haruo (満田 晴穂) who makes kinkō jizai-okimono (金工自在置物: metal articulated figurines), and whom I respect highly.” His exhibition featured many insect-themed pieces. “All of the artworks had red dots on them, indicating that they were sold! I was surprised and realised that there was also a demand for creating beautiful things that I, myself, love. It felt like I had been given permission to do everything I wanted.”
To explore his own way of expression based on carved inlay techniques, FUKUDA quit his job and began his career as an artist.
1. Parts of a butterfly in production.
2&3. Suisou (2023)
Materials: Japanese horse-chestnut, Ancient horse-chestnut, Chinese cedar, Chinaberry tree, Ancient elm, Japanese torreya, Konara oak, European pear, Mahogany, Palo Santo, Chakte Kok (Redheart).
I Don’t Want to Imitate Anyone
FUKUDA began contemplating ideas for artwork inspired by butterflies, but he was determined not to imitate anyone who had already created pieces with the same motif.
To avoid this, he wondered what he should do.
“Carved inlay is primarily about expressing flat surfaces, such as boxes. However, by arranging these surfaces differently, you can create three-dimensional pieces. Moreover, I learned sashimono (指物: traditional Japanese joinery) techniques through making furniture. By combining sculpture, inlay, and sashimono, I realised I could create unique works with my own techniques and experiences.”
Furthermore, the success of FUKUDA’s old friends from the Arts & Craft High school fuelled his ambition. “Arriving home after attending a party with friends, I started working on my first piece while looking at an illustrated book. I thought I could finish it in one night without sleeping, but it ended up taking a week.” Finally, the first piece, a yellow swallowtail butterfly, was completed. “It was incredibly satisfying. I felt a deep sense of accomplishment.”
Subsequently, FUKUDA began exhibiting his work in group shows and special exhibitions, gradually gaining recognition in the art world.
1. Sculpted butterfly. Different coloured wooden parts are embedded here.
2&3. Artwork Ame (2023)
Materials: Ancient elm, Ancient oak, Mochi tree, Ebony, Japanese boxwood, Castor aralia, Acrylic.
Learning from the Genuine Thing
Reflecting his sincerity and humility, FUKUDA often says that he is bad at sculpting.
“I was worried that, with increased exposure, my lack of skill would only become more apparent if I stayed in Tokyo,” he said.
Thus, he made the decision to return to Otoineppu Village in Hokkaido to develop his skills as an artist.
He spent his days learning by “observing living creatures and admiring the works of great artists.” This helped refine his sculpting techniques. The pieces he creates, based on actual specimens, consist of individual joints and feathers meticulously crafted from separate parts. The delicacy and precision of his work is utterly breathtaking.
Then, in 2023, at the Mitsui Memorial Museum in Tokyo, FUKUDA’s work “Water Absorption” was exhibited as part of a traveling exhibition called “Taking Transcendent Craftsmanship into the Future! With the DNA of Marvellous Meiji Craftsmanship” (ending 30th January 2025). This brought him considerable attention and acclaim.
1. Various saws and planes are lined up in his atelier.
2. FUKUDA crafting a Hercules Beetle sculpture.
Wood Is Such an Interesting Material
FUKUDA applies no colour to his works. Whether red, blue, or green, all colours come from the natural hues of the wood itself. He has over 160 different types of wood in his storeroom.
“My job is to make the most of the diverse personalities of various woods. Each type of wood has its own significance. I want people to understand how fascinating wood as a material can be.” Through his creations, he aims to convey the importance of embracing diversity, while addressing forest resource issues, and emphasising cooperation rather than division.
1. Wood storeroom. Various types of wood are stored up to the ceiling.
2. Pieces of wood sorted by colour. There are various colours such as yellow, grey, brown, green, and red.
Profile:
1994 Born in Otaru City, Hokkaido
2013 Graduated from Hokkaido Otoineppu Arts & Craft High School
2015 Graduated from the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto (TASK),
majoring in woodworking.
2019 “FUKUDA Tōru Exhibition” (solo exhibition) at the SEIZAN Gallery (Ginza, Tokyo)
2021 “TORU FUKUDA ni-wa” (solo exhibition) at the SEIZAN Gallery
“Artisans’ Beauty (匠の美)” at the Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art
“FUKUDA Tōru -Mushikago-” at the SEIZAN GALLERY TOKYO
2023 “Taking Transcendent Craftsmanship into the Future!
With the DNA of Marvellous Meiji Craftsmanship
(超絶技巧、未来へ！ 明治工芸とそのDNA)”
traveling exhibition at the Mitsui Memorial Museum
and other venues (ending 30th January 2025).
“POKÉMON X KOGEI Playful Encounters of Pokémon and Japanese Crafts
(ポケモン×工芸展―美とわざの大発見―)” traveling exhibition
at the National Crafts Museum and other venues.
2024 Received the Award of Excellence at The “KO PLUS GEI 2024 (工＋藝)” Exhibition
for “Kyūsui (吸水: Water Absorption)”.
LINKS:
Web: https://fukudatoru-crafts.jimdofree.com/
X: https://twitter.com/tf_crafts
Instagram: tooo_r
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