mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
Episode 33
The Rhythm of Making
In the morning, when we enter the workshop,
each person takes their place
and reaches for the tools they know so well.
We can begin working right away.
And yet, something feels slightly different
from before the winter break.
That familiar sensation
after a long holiday.
Geta-making is the same.
As we check the amount of pressure,
as we feel out the pauses between movements,
our hands gradually
return to the rhythm of the work.
After an extended break,
it inevitably takes a little time
for the body to return to its original tempo.
Even if the mind understands,
the hands and body are honest.
If we force them,
that subtle misalignment will show in the finished product.
Making geta requires
both careful attention
and a sense of pace.
Carefulness is essential.
But if we become too careful
and disrupt the overall flow,
that is not necessarily a good thing.
On the other hand,
we can never prioritize speed
at the expense of quality.
The small adjustments made in the moment,
and the accumulation of delicate balance,
determine the outcome of each pair.
What we seek every day
is “just the right balance.”
Not rushing.
Not standing still for too long.
Keeping the same tempo.
Maintaining the same quality.
Finishing each pair, one by one.
Because this is work done by human hands,
it is inevitably influenced
by the maker’s state of mind and body.
Handcrafted products,
for better or for worse,
reflect the condition
of the person who made them that day.
That is why
maintaining a steady, comfortable rhythm
is so important.
Craftsmanship inevitably takes time.
And time, in turn,
connects directly to cost.
In recent years,
the materials and environment surrounding geta-making
have also continued to change.
Even in our daily lives,
things that once felt ordinary
are gradually no longer so.
And yet,
we wish to continue delivering our products
without raising prices whenever possible,
just as we always have.
Behind that hope
are the unseen efforts
of each individual maker.
The way we move our hands.
How we organize each process.
The small improvements
that prevent waste.
There is nothing flashy about it.
But it is precisely these daily refinements
that sustain our craftsmanship.
How long we can continue holding our ground,
we do not know.
Still,
in order to keep delivering comfortable geta,
we continue today
to trust in our own hands
and keep them moving.
We are not doing anything extraordinary.
Simply
not losing the rhythm of making.
And that rhythm,
even today,
supports the pair
that is on its way to you.
