Mr. Mogami Yutaka is a craftsman of Edo Sashimono. He taught me how to make chopsticks.
We can have beginner class which beginners also can have fun at Mogami kogei.
The process is Shaving a prepared wood, filing it and just apply the oil! It seems very simple but it will make a big difference between pro and beginners.
At first, put a prepared squared mulberry tree into the special equipment and shave its edge little by little. He showed me an example and let’s get started!
I couldn’t plane it well because I couldn’t control my power at first time. It is difficult to keep a power equally from beginning to end!
But don’t worry.
If you couldn’t do this well, Mr. Mogami will help you!
Shaving each edges and rounding it.
Sometimes checking a shaving condition and shave it more if it’s not enough.
Put a mark on it from edge to 5cm with a pencil to make it cylindrical form and shave it while turn it until the mark out of your sight.
Sometimes Mr. Mogami helped me and I found the difference with pro and me. That is the shape of the shavings. The craftsman like Mr. Mogami shaves with same power so the shavings were beautiful spiral shaped! On the other hand, the thickness and length were all different from beginners.
The left one is from beginner, the right one that has beautiful shapes is from Mr. Mogami.
Take new heart and put a mark on it from there to 3cm more and shave it again.
Let’s file it when it became the shape of chopstick. At first, file it with a coarse sandpaper and next, use a fine one and make it smooth. Make top of chopsticks round like ‘’ the roof of Tokyo dome’’.
At last, apply the vegetable oil evenly and all completed!
Leave it half day to whole day when the oil dried is preferred.
Use my completed chopsticks and check the touch feel.
The left is before and the right one is after.
I’m going to eat breakfast with my chopsticks tomorrow!
Thank you very much Mr. Mogami!
The trial lesson fee
Making Chopsticks lesson: 2,000 yen
The time required: 1hour
Mogami Kogei
4-37-10 Kuramae, Taito-ku
TEL：03-3851-6540
Regular holiday：Saturday, Sunday, Holidays