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Joe Samalin
info@nihonsantools.com

I had an incredible time in Kingston, on both a personal and professional level. Everyone there was extremely supportive and welcoming of Nihonsan as a new East Coast vendor of Japanese tools and hardware, and it made the trip all the better. At the heart of the success of the weekend for me was, as always, the connections made and rekindled. And so for those who couldn't make it, here were some of the highlights for me:

• Rowan Woodwork - Have to shout them out first, as Rowan Woodwork is where this years Kez was held. They were stellar hosts, all the more so because they are such an inclusive space and company. To be greeted at the Kez by huge Pride and Trans Pride flags meant a lot to me, as on the whole I have always found most of the Japanese woodworking community to be a very welcoming space to begin with. Check them out and support the incredible work they do and things they build!
• Jim Blauvelt/Bluewater Forge - Jim to me is a walking bag of contradictions (in the best way possible!). A huge hulk of a guy, he is a teddy bear at heart (sorry, it's true Jim). He is also one of very few master woodworkers AND blacksmith/toolmakers that exist. Rare to see his level of skill in not one but two highly skilled crafts. This weekend he taught us all a lot about tools and their fabrication, helped my friend get a hammer of his at a discount so they could afford it and even set a handle on it, and listened to me prattle on abut my anxieties regarding impending fatherhood with a kind ear and some really good advice. Class act all the way, thanks Jim as always. 

Me and Suze - founder and owner of Rowan Woodwork - both rocking our new Nihonsan Tees!

• Suzukiya - I finally got to meet the awesomeness that is Sayuri, owner of Suzukiya tools in California. She is incredibly knowledgeable and generous, critical combination for this line of work. Check out her selection of tools and more.
• Shout outs to Devin who I met for the first time and who studied abroad in Japan at Kansai Gaidai - same as me, and taught English in Gifu City - same as me; Vic from Canada who made me laugh and synced his ADHD to mine making for a lot of fun; William the brilliant 19 year old hand tool restorer who brought incredible vintage new and used tools to the Kez that I will be selling at Nihonsan (watch out for this guy, he is gonna be big very soon); Hiro from Japan by way of Virginia who I got to speak Japanese with all weekend and who taught me a lot about carpentry; and to everyone else too many to mention.

Hiro in a rare quiet moment sharpening his plane for the competition, while telling me the story of how his grandfather got this stone as a young man, passed on to his son (Hiro's dad), and how his dad passed it on to him.

Coming up at the shop...

• We have added numerous classes to the shops calendar! Check them out on our events page here - take a close look at Will's new design classes. These furniture-type-specific classes are really unique and powerful ways to help you move from following a premade project plan to designing your own furniture.
• Join us this Thursday October 10th for our monthly meetup - with some of our new friends from Kingston likely to join us!
• On October 13th the BBFL building where Nihonsan is located will be hosting a fun fashion show and more. Nihonsan will be holding demonstrations and games, and there will be a fun time had by all. Join us!

Will O'Connor
will@makegoodwood.com

This past weekend, Kezurou-kai USA hosted its annual event in Kingston, NY. Hosted by Suze Walton's shop, Rowan Woodwork, the event took over its huge cabinetmaking shop in Kingston. (Rowan Woodwork also serves as home to our "sister" monthly meetup upstate.) Kezurou-kai USA is a national organization that dedicates itself to supporting the development of skills in the practice of Japanese Carpentry, and to fostering a wide community of people to share the experience together. The event this past weekend certainly delivered.

The schedule was packed. There were talks, demonstrations, tool-specific stations to provide hands-on guidance and encouragment, sharpening... lots of sharpening, and two simultaneous hand-planing competitions. There's so much to tell you about, but to keep things within bounds, I thought I'd just focus on a couple of my favorite moments and takeaways... and even then, I'm going to have a hard time keeping this short.

Posing with Jay Van Arsdale and Andrew Hunter. Early in my journey into the craft, their contributions to Fine Woodworking magazine were like beacons guiding my way.

Jay Van Arsdale, one of our west-coast-based Japanese woodworking elders, in a talk on Japanese joinery, provided so much encouragement and clear instruction that everyone of any level of experience could come away feeling empowered to tackle even the most challenging joints.

There was the moment when Jean Salim, NYC Meetup member and Nihonsan shop mascot, pulled his first competition shaving. Joe and I stood together like proud parents, cheering him on from the sidelines. (You'll get 'em next time, Jean!)   

Really, though, my main takeaway was a sense of being surrounded by a tribe of like-minded people, all of us full of wonder and wanting to be a part of something more than just what happens at our workbenches.

At least once a day, Andrew Hunter, our New-York-state-based, Kezurou-kai USA board member, and co-organizer with Suze of the Kingston meet-up, encouraged us to engage with people we didn't know and to try and fold new people into our conversations. There was even a special session, a tea circle, called "Creating Connections," with the goal of sharing stories and ideas and connecting with each other about our shared love of the craft, but also to endeavor to make room in this little world for a more diverse and inclusive population.

The culmination of the weekend is the planing competition, and with multiple competitors pulling shavings finer than 20 microns, it was fairly riveting.  

Back in June, in our very first newsletter, I shared my feelings about the importance of finding community around a practice and hobby that can often be somewhat isolating. I wrote about how important and vital I felt our small but growing NYC group is for me and, I hope, for all of us. This past weekend in Kingston really drove that home and made clear that the wider Japanese woodworking community shares this same point of view.

And, once again, joinery provides the perfect metaphor. For a woodworking joint to come together, adjustments are made and surfaces are tuned, all to make sure that the connection we form is strong, durable, and permanent. To bring community together, we might also need to make adjustments, soften our edges, and push through the awkwardness and discomfort that sometimes accompanies social interaction. Many thanks to Rowan Woodwork and Kezurou-kai USA for providing such a great opportunity to practice that skill too.

-Will