A customer came all the way from Okayama Prefecture to our workshop to get a chair fitting. He told us that he first encountered the KOMA chair at Cafe Le Set Kamakura, a shop specializing in bread and sweets. It was raining on the day I was on my trip to Kamakura, and I happened to walk into a cafe that had been converted from an old Japanese house, and the interior was very comfortable, so I decided to spend the day relaxing there. "Come to think of it, I've been sitting on this chair all day and I don't get tired at all!" This sparked his interest in KOMA. However, because KOMA wants to "constantly evolve and create the best of the moment," most of its products are limited edition, with the exception of a few standard items. And like many other items, the chairs that customers sat on in the cafe were already out of production, so they decided to make do with a successor model. However, it didn't fit the customer's physique. "I was so impressed with the KOMA chair at that cafe that I finally got it, so I want to make it into something that I'm completely satisfied with and that will be my lifelong companion," we received an inquiry saying. I was very happy that they thought that way. It would require you to take the trouble to travel to a workshop on the outskirts of Tokyo, but if that were possible, I would like to pursue this thoroughly. And if you can spend a few hours with me in the cold winter workshop, I'd love to work with you to create something perfect. And so customers came to the workshop. When making something, you never achieve perfection. It's something we always aim for but are always out of reach, and the closer we get, the further away it seems. In particular, a chair is the tool that has the greatest interaction with the human body of all objects. Not only does it have to deal with the contact area, but it also has to be able to support the entire body weight and withstand the movements of the person, and of course the comfort level varies greatly depending on the individual's needs. The human body is made up of complex three-dimensional curved surfaces that bend and change shape. The definition of a "comfortable chair" is one that doesn't tire you out even if you sit on it for a long time. For example, if you sit in a chair for five hours, it is unlikely that you will stay in the same position the whole time. People take a variety of postures in the space of a chair, such as straightening their back, slumping, or leaning on their elbows. If all of these are comfortable, then it is a comfortable chair. It can only be achieved when various elements such as height, angle, depth, and curve come together in a complex way. This is why handcrafting is necessary rather than machine processing, and why chair making is an endlessly challenging yet enjoyable process. I think that the "perfection" that a creator feels is meaningless, However, it may be possible to create something that is "perfect" for just one customer. As a creator, this was a wonderful opportunity to get closer to that "one and only perfection." The process involves repeatedly cutting the wood with a plane and then having the customer sit down in front of the piece. Height, engraving and angle adjustment. The comfort of sitting changes every moment with just one plane stroke. "What do you think?" "Hmm, maybe it's touching the back of my knees a little." Shave, cut, sit. By working together, we gradually get closer to our ideal. "This one feels better, but now I feel a little pressure on the back of my thighs..." Little by little, we can get a sense of what the customer is looking for. The overall angle changes depending on the length of the front and rear legs. Cut the front legs by 2.5mm. The angle also affects how it hits your back. Next, cut the rear legs by 5mm. Knees, thighs, buttocks. You can see the flow of the lines from the front to the back of the seat. Cut off some more legs. Little by little, little by little. It's almost three hours. "What do you think?" I close my eyes and sit down to take a closer look. There was a moment of silence. Slowly open your eyes and smile "perfection!!" Yesssss!! Here it is!! I couldn't help but shake hands!! It was a time when I felt a lot as I faced each customer with just a chair between us. "Make something that makes people happy" The job of a craftsman is to pursue skills and gain experience in order to achieve this. Thank you so much for reminding me of something so simple!! During the last week of January, we went on a company snowboarding trip to Geto in Iwate Prefecture. Another fun memory of playing, drinking, eating and laughing. I think one of the meanings of working is sharing various memories with colleagues who have come together through some kind of fate. Cafe Set website 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 effort continues 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 planning 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 planning. "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.
