椅子のフィッティングをしに岡山県から工房までお客さんが来てくれた。KOMAの椅子との出会いは、パンのスイーツ専門店「カフェルセット鎌倉」だったと話してくれた。鎌倉旅行に来ていたその日は雨で、たまたま入ったカフェの古民家を改装した店内も心地良く、そこでのんびり1日を過ごす事に。「そう言えば1日座ってるけどこの椅子ぜんぜん疲れないぞ？！」でKOMAに興味を持っていただいた。ただKOMAは「常に進化しながら今の一番を創りたい」という理由から、ある一部の定番品を除いてほとんどが数量限定品だ。そしてお客さんがカフェで座った椅子も例に漏れず既に廃盤品となっていて、後継モデルで対応する事になった。が、それがお客さんの体格に合わなかった。「あの時のカフェで感動してようやく手に入れたKOMAの椅子だからこそ、一生の相棒として完璧に納得のいくモノにしたい。」と問い合わせをいただいた。そんなふうに思ってもらえて凄く嬉しかった。東京郊外の工房まで御足労いただく事になってしまうが、もしそれが可能なら徹底的に追求したい。そして冬の寒い工房で数時間お付き合いしていただけるなら向き合って一緒に「完璧」を仕上げたい。そうしてお客さんが工房まで来てくれた。物をつくっていて「完璧」を得る事はない。いつも目指しているが手が届かないものであり、近づくほど遠くに感じるものだ。特に椅子という道具はあらゆる物の中で最も人の体との関わりが多い道具である。触れる面積はもちろん、全体重を支えながら人の動きにも耐え、もちろん個人の対格差によって座り心地は大きく異なる。そして人の体は複雑な３次曲面で構成されていて、それがグニャグニャと曲がりながら形を変える。「座り心地の良い椅子」の定義は長く座っていても疲れないという事だ。例えば５時間椅子に座っているとして、ずっと同じ体勢でいる人はまずいない。スッと背筋を伸ばしたり、ダラリと体勢をくずしたり、肘にもたれかかったり椅子という空間の中で人は様々な体勢をとる。そのどれもが心地よいというのが座り心地の良い椅子ということになる。高さ、角度、奥行き、カーブなどなど様々な要素が複雑に合致してはじめて叶うものだ。だからこそ機械加工ではなく人の手作業の必要性があり、椅子づくりには終わりのない難しさと楽しさがあるのだ。作り手が勝手に感じる「完璧」なんてのは何の意味もないように思うが、ただ、そのお客様一人にとっての「完璧」は作る事が出来るかもしれない。今回は作り手としてそんな「ただ一つの完璧」に近づける嬉しい機会だった。お客さんを目の前に、鉋で削っては座ってもらうの繰り返し。高さ、彫り込み、角度の調整。鉋の一掛けで刻々と座り心地は変化していく。「どうでしょう？」「う〜ん膝の裏が少し当たるかな〜」削る、切る、座る。共同作業で少しずつ理想に近づいていく。「コッチは良くなったけど今度は太腿の裏が少し圧迫されるかな。。」お客さんが求めているカタチが少しずつ伝わってくる。前後の脚の長さの違いで全体の角度も変わる。前脚を2,5㎜カットしてみる。角度によって背中の当たりにも影響する。次は後脚を５㎜カット。ひざ、もも、おしり。座面の前から後ろへのラインの流れが見えてくる。またもう少し脚をカット。少しずつ少しずつ。そろそろ３時間が経とうとするころ。「どうでしょうか？」目を閉じてじっくり確かめるように座る。暫しの沈黙。ゆっくり目を開けながらニッコリ笑って「完璧！！」ヨシ！！キター！！思わず握手！！一脚の椅子を間に置いて、一人のお客様と向き合う事で多くを感じる時間だった。「喜んでもらえるものをつくる」それを叶える為に技術を追求し経験を重ねていくことが職人の仕事である。すごくシンプルな事にあらためて気づかせてもらえて本当にありがとうございました！！1月の最終週は岩手県の夏油までスノーボード社員旅行に行ってきた。たくさん遊んで飲んで食って笑って楽しい思い出がまた一つ。何かの縁で集まれた仲間達と色んな思い出を共有することも仕事をする一つの意味だと思う。 カフェルセットさんHP One client visited our factory from Okayama prefecture. He met KOMA chair at the cafe specialized in sweets made of breads "cafe recette Kamakura". It was rain when he traveled Kamakura, thus, he spent entire day in a comfortable cafe, renovated from traditional Japanese style house, which he happened to get in. He became interested in KOMA when he realized he had not felt tired even though he sat the chair for the entire day. Actually, due to "We would like to make the best products at present though continues effort to improve", most products are made limited number except for small number of mass-production items. The chair the client sat is also discontinued like other cases, we dealt with an existing model. The model does not fit to the client's physique. The client asked us "I would like to have the perfect one as a life time partner because it is hard-earned KOMA chair." I was delighted for the client to think of KOMA products. If the client does not mind traveling to our factory locating suburb of Tokyo, we would like to pursue throughly the best fit. And if he does not care so much of spending with us in cold our factory, we would like to complete "the perfect". So, the client visited our factory. It would not be possible to feel something "perfect" in manufacturing products. The perfect would be something we have been aiming to, however, the closer we would feel the farer. The chair is the one of instruments which contact the most frequently to our bodies. Its comfortability depends on the physique of sitting person including the area contacting bodies and how to support moving bodies. Bodies of human-beings consist of complex three-dimensional curved surfaces whose shape may flaccidly change. The definition of "chair to be sit comfortably" would be ones on which people sit would not feel tired. It will not happen for people to sit on chairs with same position for five hours. People would take various positions on the same chair including straighten themselves up, languidly soften their positions, lean on elbows, etc. Comfortable chairs would be ones make people comfortable at any positions. It would be the result of the combination of various components including heights, angles, depths, curves. This is why manufacturing comfortable chairs require handmade techniques instead of machine works, which makes me feel never-ending difficulties and funs. It would not make any sense manufacturers' self-satisfactory perfect, however, the perfect of the specific client may be achievable. It was very pleasant opportunity for manufacturers to become closer to "the unique perfect." I had repeated planing and asking the client to sit in front of the client. I have adjusted heights, degrees of how much to be engraved, angles. How much comfortable to sit would change every one planing. "How do you feel ?" "I feel a little pressure on the bak of knees." Shaving, cutting, and sitting. We had gradually approached the ideal status through our collaboration. "I feel better regarding the back of the knee, however, I have become feeling a bit excessive pressure on the back of hamstrings." I had gradually understood the shape the client seeks. Overall angles would be affected by the difference in lengths of front legs and back legs. I had cut front legs by 2.5mm. The angle had impacted to the contact of the back of the client. Next, I had cut back legs by 5mm. I have seen the line of the seat from the front to the back. Then, I have cut legs again. Little by little. It has past almost three hours. "How do you feel ?" The client sat on the chair with his eyes closed to confirm how comfortable it is. He kept silent for a while. He slowly opened his eyes and said with his smile "Perfect !!" Yes !! Here it comes !! We had shaken our hands !! One chair as intermediary, I have felt many things through closely facing one client. "Manufacturing products make clients happy." It would be craftsman's role to have experiences to make it happen. I really appreciate the client who made me be re-realize the simple matter !! We went to Getoo in Iwate prefecture as the company snow boarding tour in the last week of January. We have made another good memory of funs with playing, drinking, eating, and laughing. It would be one of purposes of job to share memories with members met together by a kind of fate. Written by Shigeki Matsuoka
