【武内 舞子】マイちゃんと呼んでいる。神様か仏様からの贈り物だと思っている。今ではKOMAに無くてはならない存在である。仕事内容、存在感共にそれほどのウエイトを担ってくれている。どの男達よりも仕事をしている。2012年。最初に会ったのはどこだか忘れたがKOMAの展覧会に荻坊が連れてきた。家具づくりの学校に通っていると言っていた。23歳になろうとする今では超生意気で男だったらブン殴ってるが、当時は19歳のかわいらしい女の子だった。数ヶ月後、とんでもなく忙しい日々。猫の手も借りたいとはこの事だ。あの時のあの子を思い出した。週一でもいいからバイトにこない？で通ってくることになる。バリバリの職人の男社会で修行した俺が運営するKOMAもまたバリバリだ。女の子とどう接していいか分からない。なんだか気を使うのも面倒だ。仕事の上でも雑用係と俺の接点はほとんど無い。そして数ヶ月。忙しさには拍車がかかる。週三でこれない？週四でこれない？週五で来れない？なんとも都合の良い話だ。そんな最中。2014年7月。ある日突然、彼女にとってチャンスが訪れる。彼女の先輩にあたる若い衆がバックレたのだ。その彼が担当していた仕事を彼女にダメモトでやらせてみた。ん？え？マジ？超上手いじゃん！！！最初の一本目から先輩達よりも上手い！！そして速い！！二本目、三本目と回を追うごとにドンドン上手くなる！！生意気小僧の片鱗も現れた。「これくらい出来て当たりまえじゃないっすか？」だって。。聞けば家は大工の家系で小さな頃から作業場が遊び場だったそうだ。木材への刃物の入れ方のセンスが違う。手つき身のこなしに「理」がある。全く気付いていなかった俺のダメ親方ぶりが露呈された。お恥ずかしい。。後で分かったが、ずっと密かに練習をしていたらしい。変にアピールしてこないそこら辺も俺なんかよりずっと凛々しくて好きな所だ。どの業界も同じだろうが一つ一つのチャンスをキチッとモノにしていく事が大切だ。いつでも来い！と思えるまでの準備。今がチャンス！と感じるセンサー。必ず掴む！という気合い。チャンスを掴んで駆け上がっていく人間の様は傍目に見ても面白い。そこからはアッという間だ。じゃあこれ出来る？じゃあこれやってみ？の繰り返し。どこまでもついてくる。未だ天井知らずだ。最近では俺とスピードでハリあう事もある。お客様にとっては関係ないが、職人にとってスピードは最重要と言っても良い。もちろんクオリティーが最優先だが、同じ品質だったら早けりゃその方が良いに決まってる。なぜなら、職人にとっては、どれだけ段取りよく効率良く仕事ができたか？ってことに繋がるからだ。段取りと効率の良さはクオリティーに直結する。止まる事無く、無駄なく、理にかなった動きで流れる様に作業出来ているときは、違う世界にブッとんでいるような感覚になる。何も考えていない。ただ目の前にあるコトだけ。身体は俺のモノじゃなくなる。そんな時はとんでもなく良い家具が創れる。当然、ブッチギリで速くもある。その為には準備も必要だ。前夜から製作物の寸法や角度を頭に叩き込む。作業工程を一から何度も何度もイメージする。帰りの車の中、晩飯、風呂、何をやってる時もずっとだ。そんで、歩き方の一歩までイメージ出来たらそのまま寝る。すると大抵、夢の中でも考えられる。意外と良いアイデアが出たりする時もある。朝には髪の先まで集中できてる。作業の直前まで確認をして、よーいドンだ。だから、「速い」は職人にとって「どれだけこの仕事マジでヤッてますか？」ってことだ。そして、会社を持続させる事において「仕事が速いヤツ」っていうのは「最高に仕事がデキるヤツ」だ。なぜなら儲かるからだ。俺たちはアーティストじゃない。作ってなんぼの職人だ！椅子一脚の極一部の仕上げだが、難易度の高い部分がある。道具は刀、鉋とサンドペパーだ。今までの若い衆の平均が６０分前後。俺がサラッとやって３０分。だから、「６０分でいいけど、３０分で出来たらホメてやるよ〜」そしたら２８分だった。マジかよ？じゃあイッチョやってやろうか？！で俺が２２分。そしたら１８分を出してきた。この野郎！で俺が１５分彼女は１８分を切れず。もう一回、俺がダメ押しの１３分で勝負ありだ。でも、これに関しては、あと少しで抜かれるな〜と思う。。笑今年、賞や海外展示などで大活躍だったKOMA初の量産モデルであるsim chairは彼女のおかげでうまれた椅子だ。KOMAの椅子は量産と言えど職人技を多く盛り込む。その為、量産型を維持継続は技術の維持継続とイコールだ。今までは俺にしか出来なかった刀などで行う仕上げ作業は製産数に限りがある。一人ではとても出来ない。でもずっとやりたかった事の一つだ。その目標が叶って、会社の可能性を大きく変えたと思う。そのおかげで、若い衆一人一人の成長が会社全体に大きな影響を与える事を知った。それも、俺だけでは絶対出来ないトンでもなく大きな影響だ。こっちが本気で期待すれば、人はそれ以上で応える努力をしてくれるってことを教えてもらった。親方から受け継いだ技術を繋げる子がやっと出てきた。俺にとってマイちゃんは宝そのものである。そんなマイちゃんに片思いを続けた男がいる。最年長のエビちゃんだ。最近独立をした。 I call her "Mai-chan". I recognize her as something like gift from God or Buddha. She now is indispensable member of KOMA. She takes larger roles in terms of what she physically provides and what she influences mentally. She has made much more works than any of male members of KOMA. 2012. I met her for the first time when Ogi-bo has brought her to a KOMA exhibition held in somewhere which I cannot remember exactly. She was introduced as a student of a school for manufacturing furnitures. Now, in her 23 years old, she has become super cocky with less respecting others, which cannot be forgivable in case of male, at that time, she was pretty girl in her 19 years old. Several months have past when KOMA was extremely busy. That was exactly we need every little help we could get. I had remembered her at that time. "Do you mind taking our part time job once a week ?" I offered her and she stated her career at the KOMA. KOMA, managed by me who had trained in genuine men's world or craftsman, is also genuine men's company. I have no clue how to deal with female employees. I would not like to take special cares for female employees. Under ordinary operations, there would not be contact points between her dealing with chores tasks and myself running the company. Another several months has past. The pressure of busy work has been amplified. Would you be able to help three times a week ? Would you be able to help four times a week ? Would you be able to help five times a week ? It appears to be really selfish. During such period. July 2014. She suddenly got a chance. Her senior member has run away. I asked her to replace his tasks without any expectations. Um ? What ? Really ? Her skills are really nice !!! Her technique is better than her seniors from the first trial !! And also, she is quick !! Her technique has been remarkably improved in second trial and more in third trial. She has revealed glimpse of her cockiness saying "This is kind of technique ordinary craftsman can do, isn't it ?" She grown up in the family of carpenter and her playground has been the factory. Her sense of angle how to insert the blade is exceptional. Way of her movements in hands and body seems to be logical. It has been revealed how bad master I am, who had not noticed her talent. It was really shame. I recognized later that she practiced secretly. One feature I like her in personality would be that she does not try to demonstrate her efforts, which would be much more dignified than me. It would be true to every industry that it is critically important to make surely every opportunity own. Adequate amounts of preparations which make ones to ready opportunities any time. Sense to be aware of any opportunities. Strong will to acquire opportunities own. It is interesting to observe others to run up steps with acquiring opportunities. It takes just seconds for her to grow adequately. Are you able to achieve this ? Are you try to do it ? It has been repeated as such. She has overcome every challenge. She has never shown her upper ceiling of her growth. Recently, she has competed me how quick the process is accomplished. It would have nothing to do with our clients, however, the speed would be the most important thing for craftsman. The quality should be prioritized for sure, however, assuming same quality, the quicker the better. For craftsman, speed would be connected to better processes and better efficiency. Good process and efficiency directly connects to quality of products. When processes are conducted without any stops, any unnecessary movements, in logical manner, I would feel flying to stay in different world. Nothing to think about. Concentrating to what exist in front of me. My body would be possessed by something other than me. When I have such feelings, I would be able to make exceptionally good furnitures. At the same time, it is completed in extra extremely short period of time. For that, adequate preparations would be required. From the previous night, sizes and angles of products are hammered into my head. Repeatedly imagine front to back processes. On the way coming back home, dinner, bath, continuously every moment. Then, when I am able to image even how to take step in walking during the process, I go to bed to sleep. Then, in many cases, I would be able to think of the process in my dream. Sometime, I would happened to have extra ordinary good ideas. In the morning, I am concentrating to the process even on the end of hairs. Confirming the details until just ahead of the process, then, get started. So, for craftsman, "quick" is almost identical to "how serious you are committed to your job ?" And, from the point to make the factory to be sustainable, "those who make products quickly" is identical to "those who are capable". Because they are able to bring money to the factory. We are not artists. We are craftsman who are supposed to be evaluated by money to be brought to the company ! There is difficult part in finishing process of chair. Tools to be used are blades, planes, and sand paper. So far, average duration of younger employees would be about 60 minutes. I would be able to complete it in 30 minutes without extra concentrations. So, I told her "You would be passed the standards when complexing it in 60 minutes, however, I would praise you if you are able to finish in 30 minutes." Her record was 28 minutes. Really ? Let's compete in the speed ? My record was 22 minutes. Then, she was able to shorten her record to 18 minutes. Bastard ! My record was shoved to 15 minutes. She tried and failed to shorten her record than 18 minutes. Once again, I completed it in doubly sure 13 minutes, and the competition was over. However, for this process, she would surpass me in short periods of time, lol. The first ever production model of KOMA, "sim chair" which are highly evaluated and presented in multiple exhibitions overseas in 2015, is the chair came from her contributions. Chairs of KOMA contain many handmade processes even in production models. So, sustainability of production models are identical to sustainability of high levels of craftsman's technique. Finishing process in handworks using blades have been solely done by myself, thus, number of productions have been limited. A person would not be able to produce production models. However, it is what I would like to achieve for years. Achieving the goal, she has changed the possibility of the company. Thanks to her, I have realized growth in single younger employee may have significant impacts to entire company. It would be enormous influence I cannot able to give. I have also learned from her that younger employees would grow further than my expectations when I seriously expect their growth. At last, I am able to find young employee who is able to succeed technique from masters. For me, Mai-chan is genuine treasury. There is a man who continue to have one-side love to such Mai-chan. The oldest employee, Ebi-chan. He has established his own factory recently. Written by Shigeki Matsuoka
