A Master in Action ~ Craftsman Japan

There is nothing quite like watching a master at work, someone who has been practicing their craft for so many years and knows it so well they could do it perfectly in their sleep.

Japan is full of crafts masters. Unfortunately a lot of them are older and aren't passing on their knowledge due to disinterest in the young. Many foreigners who are in love with traditional crafts are filling the gap, but there still isn't enough interest so unfortunately a lot of these arts are fading.

This is an interesting Japanese craft of using different woods to create mosaics and finely detailed patterns. It's called Yosegi-zaiku (寄木細工). It sounds simple, but watch the video—it looks very exact and labor intensive. It's pretty amazing to watch him work. He makes it look easy, but I doubt any of us would be able to do it even a fraction as well without years of practice.

I just wish the video was longer. (There are longer ones on YouTube covering this specific art, but none put together as nicely as this one)