Kesurokai

Kesurokai was started in Japan in 1995 by the highly respected temple carpenter Sugimura San. His aim was to bring together different craftsmen who normally work remotely to exchange traditional craft techniques and knowledge.

The events were brought to Europe through Hannes Schnelle, a German carpenter who spent a significant period of time working in Japan, becoming Sugimura San’s last apprentice before semi-retirement. In 2005 and 2007 he organised Kesurokai in Germany bringing together craftsmen from a wide range of European countries along with a delegation of Japanese craftsmen led by Sugimura San.

In 2010 Chisana (little) Kesurokai will see a return trip, with a group of thirty European craftsmen travelling to Japan to work with their Japanese compatriots building a traditional tea house. I shall accompany them, both to observe as part of my research into the transfer of craft knowledge, and to document the event on film.