Temple and shrine architecture is my love, my joy, my reason for living.
Ever since I was a child, I have loved and been interested in architecture, reading books about it. My father was a carpenter, and I watched him work and build things all the time.
When I was a junior high school student, I watched a TV program featuring Tsunekazu Nishioka, the exclusive palace carpenter of Horyuji Temple. I wanted to be a shrine carpenter. This is what made me want to become a shrine carpenter.
When I was nineteen years old, I began my apprenticeship with an apprentice of a palace carpenter who worked exclusively at Horyuji Temple in Nara.
At first, I was not allowed to hold a tool properly and had to clean and clean every day. However, I have a lot of patience. Since I was a little girl, I had been climbing the mountain paths with my father. No complaining, no whining. I think my experience from that time was useful during this period of my training.
The place where I was training was a place where people from all over the country who wanted to become shrine carpenters gathered.
As with anything, even if you gain knowledge by reading books or listening to stories, you will not really acquire it unless you put it into practice. In the case of carpentry, it is important to gain experience in the field.
The time it takes to complete a project is very long for a shrine carpenter. It can take one year, up to three years, or even longer. In other words, there are not many sites.
However, where I was trained, there were many sites, and aspiring miya carpenters came from all over the country to work there.
A competitive world
It was an environment of friendly competition with many other aspiring shrine carpenters. At the same time, it was also a world of fierce competition.
It wasn’t a world of seniors and juniors, but a world where ability counted. Even those who came in later would stand above their brothers and sisters if they were good enough. In such a situation, I had to work hard to catch up and acquire skills so that I would not be overtaken by my younger brothers.
Became independent after five years of training
After five years of training in Nara, I returned to Tokushima and started my own business. At first, there was no work and I struggled for a while. However, as I carefully and thoughtfully finished each job I received, the number of jobs I received increased little by little, and now I receive a lot of work.
I feel that the perseverance that my father trained me with has come into play here as well.
Four particulars
We at KIBITO are particular about using good materials. Good material attracts people who see it. It gives comfort to people who live and touch it.
Also, by using good materials, it lasts longer. The initial cost of using good materials may be a little higher. However, the cost can be reduced in the long run because the interval of repair and the period until rebuilding will be longer.
In Mokushiroto, we have our own system which can handle good materials at low price.
“I feel comfortable here.”
It helps the operation of shrines and temples to have visitors feel that way.
We work not only for the comfort of the priests and priestesses who come in contact with the buildings, but also for the comfort of the visitors.
We had no budget, but we were able to make something better than we expected.
People who chose Mokusato say so with one voice.
We make good use of limited funds and create something better than we imagined. We have the technology and knowledge to do so inKIBITO.
We aim to create a building that impresses Ujiko (shrine parishioners) and Danka (parishioners) with “I am really glad I made a donation. We aim to create a building that impresses Ujiko and Danka with “I am really glad I donated”.
We listen carefully to the requests of the owner, the Shinto priest or the resident priest. If there are any opinions, ideas, or areas that can be improved, we will draw pictures and communicate them in an easy-to-understand manner.
We don’t want you to have any regrets after the project is completed, saying, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We don’t want you to regret that “it was not supposed to be like this” after completion.
We value dialogue in KIBITO.
