I often feel like I have no talent whatsoever. Especially when it comes to sense, he has none. So when I see something someone has made, a photograph they have taken, or a painting they have drawn, whether they are a professional or an amateur, I am always inspired and think, "Wow, that's amazing! I could never do that." But I love making furniture. Recently, I've really started to feel that way again. Unfortunately, I think there was a long period when I couldn't feel that way genuinely. I'm also taking New Year's off for a good reason. However, what I want to do most happens to be making furniture, so I'm just doing it because I like it, and it's just a break. So it's a relaxed few days where I can forgive anything, even if I make mistakes or things go awry. It's been a great few days, working not professionally but purely for the love of it. It's really hard to be a professional without any talent or sense, relying only on willpower and determination. Last year was a year of many realizations for me, thanks to the many opportunities and environments provided by my colleagues and seniors. Just the other day, at the end of the year, I suddenly felt like something was missing and I was disappointed, thinking, "I'm such a lazy person." Wanting to be the best, winning or losing. The things that had been my top priority until now have become irrelevant. "We create the best furniture, bring the best joy to our customers, and make it the coolest." This is KOMA's philosophy. If you want to create the best furniture, you need to create an environment where people can learn about it, see it, and buy it, otherwise it will just be self-satisfaction. For us who have no history, our track record serves as a basis for gaining an environment. To do this, you need to be selected as a craftsman for the project. Whether or not the work will be selected for the plan. It is true that in order to build up a track record, there are many opportunities to be compared with rivals, and it is also true that the results create the next environment. So, in order to fulfill KOMA's philosophy, my goal became to keep winning and become number one until I could find the best environment. Is the goal to achieve a vision? Isn't it the other way around? Isn't philosophy the foundation of your activities? Isn't it about what you do with your principles? Our philosophy is to share joy with everyone involved. That's the purpose of working hard. To do that, there are certain circumstances you have to get into, and sometimes you have to win. It was a complete reversal of priorities. The result you should care about isn't winning or losing. It's about whether everyone is having fun together. Winning and losing are part of the fun process. It took me a while to realise this was obvious. I get annoyed with myself every time this happens. But I'm glad I noticed. The rest is simple: young people, be ambitious. So, when I started my training, I first decided to become the best furniture craftsman in Japan. I've been vaguely aware for a few years now that there really isn't such a thing, I think one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with winning and losing is that I feel I can't easily betray the ambitions I had as a young person. The year 2015 was a truly blessed year. I was given many opportunities thanks to the generosity of those involved. Selected as one of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Wonder 500. Selected for Paris Design Week. Exhibited at Japan Salone at the Milan Expo. Forestry Agency Wood Design Award Encouragement Award. Selected for the Forestry Agency's Wood Furniture Award Japan. Exhibited in Paris. I also had the opportunity to participate in various events at the department store. I was even featured on TV along with the other young people. I am truly grateful. So, at the end of the year, I suddenly had a thought. If we consider the environment and opportunities we have as results, does that mean I am now the best furniture craftsman in Japan? Is this the goal I set during my training? No, this is fine! I'm sure there are plenty of furniture makers who are better than me that I just don't know about, and there are plenty of companies with high sales. There are many different standards and angles to evaluation, so if I say something like this I'm sure I'll hear scolding voices from all sides saying, "What are you talking about?" but it doesn't matter. If we focus on the fact that we have been chosen for the opportunity, then KOMA and I are undoubtedly the best, both among companies and individuals. So this is fine for now. It's not really my ability. My teammates and seniors simply gave me the time and opportunity. But you have to understand, young me. Everyone has their own area of expertise when it comes to furniture genres and processing techniques, so there's nothing you can gain by working alone. Therefore, there is no such thing as a best. It's an illusion I made up myself. I'm just so grateful. And that's the result someone like me could get, with only a self-evaluation score of 15 points. So please forgive me for this from my apprenticeship days. Please consider this my fulfillment of my promise. But one thing. Thanks to you, I gained a lot of confidence. I don't have any talent or sense, but I can manage with just the determination and determination to never lose. I felt like I was being recognized. All of this is thanks to the people involved. And I think again. The people you surround yourself with are what determine your worth. I would be happiest if I could be of value to the people around me. But I still hate losing. If you're working hard and putting your life on the line, it's only natural that you wouldn't want to lose to anyone in the world. But winning isn't the goal. This small step, which just shows us the truly important purpose that lies ahead, is a big step. The fact that we are no longer making products just for the sake of competing will definitely have a positive impact on furniture making in the future. Even as a kid, if left to his own devices, he would spend the whole day making or drawing something. I chose this profession because I've always loved making things. The light streaming in through the window dazzled the foremen as they worked with their backs to them. I was thrilled to see them perform their techniques in the backlight, sending wood chips flying. I had a genuine desire to be there someday! I remembered again. I feel like I took a detour, but now I feel like I've come to love him on a deeper level than I did back then. That's why I'm thinking of raising my self-assessment score of 15 points over the past 15 years to 20 points in one go. This is the real starting point. We finally arrived. There's no need to compete anymore. I'm such a boss. It's a nuisance to the young people. I think the influence of the younger generation was a big factor in this realization. One of the key people who made me think this way is Hiratsuka Takeshi. I think of myself as racking of talents. Especially, I have none in terms of kinds of senses. So, I tend to be impressed by opus of goods, pictures, paintings made by others irrespective of professionals or amateurs thinking of them "it is awesome, I cannot make something in the same quality. Anyway, I love making furniture. Recently, I have become thinking so from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, I have spent long period when I could not purely think so. At the beginning of new year, I am in off. Given making furnitures as my favorite thing, I am making furnitures even in my holidays. So, I have been in easy mode allowing me to make mistakes in it or to have inappropriate processes. I love these several days when I spend in manufacturing furniture not because it is my occupation but because I purely love it. It is really tough to be a professional with neither talent nor sense. lol. Last year, I had many opportunities to become aware of many things thanks to colleagues and senior people. At the end of the last year, I have felt losing my tension and so disappointed as "I have been useless idiot." I would like to be No.1 and/or winning or losing, etc. I have become not to take care of them which have been the most important motivation for me. "Making the best furniture, bringing the most happiness to clients, and being the most cool." It is the philosophy of KOMA. When we would like to make the best furnitures, unless making the environment where clients know, see, and buy our products, it would be just self-satisfaction. It would be true that we are compared with competitors during those selection processes and relevant results would make next environments. That is why our goal was defined as keeping continuous despair and becoming No.1 in order for our idea to be true. Is our goal to realize our philosophy? Is it the opposite? Given no history, the environment would be made by our performance results. For that, it would be important whether we are chosen in projects as craftsman, our products are selected in plans. Is the philosophy is the fundamental of every activity? Is more appropriate question what shall we do with the corporate philosophy? Our philosophy exists in order for us to rejoice together with all our stakeholders. That is the reason why we make efforts. For it, we may need to establish a certain infrastructures and may need to win some competitions. It was truly the opposite. It should not be the result of competitions. But, whether we are able to rejoice with stakeholders or not. Results of competitions would be one of processes for rejoice. It took longer time for me to understand what is totally obvious. I would be about to hate myself experiencing something like this almost every time. Anyway, it was good to be aware of it. It would be simple, however, boys be ambitious. So, at the initial step of my training for craftsman, I was aiming to be No.1 craftsman in Japan. Since several years ago I have been noticing it would not be appropriate gaol, at the same time, I would like to be compliant with the ambitious I had when I was young. We have very good opportunities by many stakeholders whom I really appreciate. Selected in "wonder500" hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Selected in "paris sedign week" Exhibition at "Japan salone in the World Expo in Milan" Awarded as the encouraging prize in "wood design award" sponsored by the Forest Agency Selected as "wood furniture award japan" sponsored by the Forest Agency and the associated exhibition in Paris. We had many opportunities in department stores. Special programs in TV were broadcast. I really appreciate all. Then, at the end of the last year, I thought. Measuring results by acquiring relevant opportunities and infrastructures, would I be the No.1 craftsman of furniture in Japan? Is it the gaol what I made at the begging of my training. Rather it is that! There would exist many craftsman whose technique are better than me and there are many factories whose sales are bigger than KOMA. Given there are many measures and angles how to evaluate, I would expect blames like "What are you talking about?", which I do not care. Measuring from the number of opportunities to be chosen in awards and/or exhibitions , KOMA and myself would be No.1 for sure. So, I have accomplished what I thought it as my goal. It would not be my true performance. Seniors and colleagues have given me time and opportunities. So, myself in your age, please be persuaded. There are many genres and each craftsman has own specialty in terms of manufacturing process, nothing can be made by myself. So, conceptually, there is no No.1 craftsman for furniture. It was illation I made myself. I just appreciate it. That is what I, whose self scoring would be 15%, am able to get. So, myself in training era, please be persuaded for you to accomplish your gaol. Please understand it as the completion of the promise. One I would be sure. I have had solid self-confidence. Without any talents and senses, I would be able to overcome anything with my sticky commit and guts. I would be able to think of being evaluated by others. I appreciate all stakeholders who have made me to think of what described above. And I truly realize it again. Those who are surrounding you are what is your value. It would make me happier than anything else if I would be able to bring value to others. Anyway, I dislike losing. As instinct, it would be too obvious I would not like to be inferior to anyone else if I make furnitures desperately. But, victory would not be the goal. It would be large significantly step having made myself understood the truly valuable goal beyond being No.1. The change of the goal from manufacturing beyond competitions are supposed to bring good influences to making furnitures. When I was child, if left as was, I have created and/or painted something. I have taken this profession because I love creating something. Masters working backed by light shining from windows looked too bright to me. I was fascinated by their performance in using wooden hammers. I purely admired them "I would like to be there, someday!" I remember it again. I would think of it as a detour, however, I like making furniture something deeper than that period. I, who has gained 15 point score in 15 years, would to improve my score to 20 points immediately. This is the true starting line. I have reached out to the starting point. I am no longer able to compete with others. I myself would be such a kind of master. I trouble younger employees. Actually, younger employees have made me to be aware of these kinds of things. Takeshi Hiratsuka is one of them. To be continued to "Takeshi Hiratsuka".
