Who are temple carpenters and what do they do?
If you have travelled to Japan, you must have visited a traditonal temple or two that was built several hundred years ago. And if you ventured into ancient capitals such as Nara or Kyoto, chances are that you’ve shared ground with a wooden structure that have stood over a millenium. The book Ki no ichi Ki no kokoro (木のいのち木のこころ), which literally means “The life and heart of trees” by Shiono Yonematsu interviewed three generations of temple carpenters (miyadaiku in Japanese) possessing knowledge passed down from 1300 years ago. When I first picked up this book, I had the mindset of a traveler with strong interest in traditional architecture, who hopes to pick up a tidbit or two about the magnificient sites I’ve seen. Instead, I am pleasantly surprised by the additional lessons from the masters on growing people and managing teamwork.
The book starts with the section Ten (Heaven) which is an apt title for the interviews of grand master Nishioka Tsunekazu (1908-1995). The Nishioka family belongs to a group of craftsmen patronized by Horyuji to handle all building and maintenance work. Horyuji was built in the 7th century and is now the oldest wood building in the world. The Nishioka family lived in the temple precinct and their employment and skills were hereditary. However, changing social conditions after the Meiji Reform and the subsequent war brought forth a great reduction of government subsidy, parishioners and income. The Nishioka family was in the brink of financial crisis, even though the occupation was still widely respected in the society. As Nishioka has achieved a legendary status in the society, his story was inscribed into school textbooks. That was how his only disciple Ogawa Mitsuo and the latter’s apprentices discovered this career path and flocked to him. The second part (Earth) interviewd Ogawa while the last part Jin (Humans), talks with the then under-25-year-old apprentices in Ogawa’s workshop. Through the apprentices eyes, we came to understand how Ogawa trained them and helped them grow in spite of each one’s difficulties.
Each chapter is an interview of the 3 generations around the history of miyadaiku and their daily work. Through these, it briefly unveil a world that few of us know, and work ethics that transcend occupation boundaries. For the Nishioka lineage, their work is a solemn responsibility of preserving Japan’s cultural heritage. They strive to restore and build things that can strike a dialog with future generations.
Here are some leadership tips from Nishioka and Ogawa.
on maximizing potentials and lives
In Nishioka and his ancestors’ time, there was no tree farms. Instead, when a temple needed to be built, they would buy a whole piece of land in the mountain to harvest the materials. Trees grown in nature, like humans, are not standardized. Each tree, depends on its species and location (which dictates the direction of sun/wind and how much moisture it gets), has its own characters. Adapting to such characters, you can fully utilize their potentials. In the hands of masters, even heavily knotted or twisted wood can be put into good use. Education in Japan and some other societies are often criticized for encouraging homogenity. We might learn a thing or two from Nishioka’s treatment of trees, as well as Ogawa’s training of his workshop disciples that individuality, if tapped into correctly, can also yield wonderful fruits.
Nishioka also viewed trees’ lives as continual even after harvest. It had an original life in the forest, and a second life when you appropriate it for a building. After you harvested it, you are now responsible for maximizing its second life by placing it in a suitable position with good carpentry skills. This is the mandatory respect for materials that Nishioka wanted to pass down to others.
Nishioka often emphasized that, during big renovation projects when you came face to face with wood beams harvested over 1000 years ago, you could still smell the fragrance, and appreciate the detailed care (and refined techniques) old craftsmen put into their work. It makes one humbler and know that you cannot defile the hard work by your ancestors. Doing things right is never forgotten.
on leading with integration
With workers who came from all walks of lives who need to live and work closely together in projects spanning several years, it’s crucial for the lead craftsman to put them like jigzaw pieces into a whole. The (in)ability to do this will make or break a project. Ogawa’s apprentices had diverse backgrounds and some were even delinquents. Nevertheless, when Ogawa took them in, he only cared if they had the necessary mental space to learn and grow.
on learning
by observation
Instead of teaching them all the techniques by lecture, Ogawa went the traditional Japanese way in which apprentices will closely obeserve their seniors. Seniors could be a more skillful apprentices, or as Ogawa’s master Nishioka explained, your best lesson lies in conversing with your ancestors by observing all the fine details of the structures you face on site.
by training your muscle memory
Ogawa stated that learning by memorizing books is useless. You have to train your senses to understand what’s right and wrong. Only by continuously adjusting with your hands will you be able to imprint them into muscle memory. Daily practice trumps attending class.
by comparison
Ogawa encouraged the apprentices to start something first, then compare its results with their seniors to see what’s lacking.
by teaching
Apprentices were given mentor roles after only 3-4 years. By teaching, they could closely examine their current knowledge and gaps. This aligns with the learning pyramid which states that growth is fastest when you teach and share.
by taking up greater responsibility
Ogawa gave apprentices the opportunity to lead big projects that put sponsors into unease but worked out really well. The trick is that when the more senior apprentices got such a big job, they were more motivated and couldn’t disappoint.
conclusion
When I close this book, I am left with deep admiration for the respect the Nishioka lineage has for everything.
- Respect for life: understand the unique trait of everything and realize its potentials. To say that it’s just “resource optimization” is oversimplifying. Rather, it’s an appreciation of the true nature of a thing and a refusal of waste. A refusal to let something falter in your hand because you don’t use it well. For Nishioka, timber log should live in a temple for as long as they are left in the forest.
- respect for craft: a good craftsman should be focused, self-improving, responsble for one’s own career
- respect for people: a person, like a tree, must have his/her own strength and should be trusted to be capable to contribute in his/her way.
Near the end of the book, the author stated that Ogawa was often invited by major corporations such as Toyota to give talks to senior management. I could understand why. Growing and making the best use of timber is not much different than people. If we take proper care in their growth and placement, timber, like human, can indeed be the pillar of a structure. There’s no wonder that the word 棟梁 (touryou in Japanese) is used to indicate both the core pillar of a building, as well as the head craftsman. Finding, nurturing and passing down capable resources should be the core skills every management staff possess.