匠人逆襲的啟發(fā)

● 周華誠

一個(gè)日本人一個(gè)中國人，面對手工藝，想到了一起

不管是在日本還是在中國，所有產(chǎn)品制造的根本均源自“人”，而人“心”所向往的，正是啟發(fā)我們?nèi)诚胛磥砻篮蒙畹脑慈！敖承摹钡膫鞒小a(chǎn)品的打磨，根本還在于制造者對于造物境界的不懈的追求。

中川周士的手工香檳木桶，與松下的IH技術(shù)結(jié)合，可以給香檳酒降溫；八木隆裕的茶葉罐，打開蓋子，可以發(fā)出樂音；兩片電風(fēng)扇葉片轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)帶出的微風(fēng)，穿過竹編的網(wǎng)，就好像是穿越竹林的山野之風(fēng)……

在北京觀看這場“京都和風(fēng)家電展”之前，很多人無法想象，傳承幾代人的傳統(tǒng)手工技藝，借助科技的翅膀，還能煥發(fā)出這樣的時(shí)尚力。而帶著冷冰冰面孔的現(xiàn)代科技，植入傳統(tǒng)的工藝與手工的溫度后，居然變得如此詩意，如此富有想象力。

3年前，筆者帶著思考前往日本，考察和記錄了日本許多傳統(tǒng)匠人的故事；回到中國，又調(diào)研了許多非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)傳承人以及新匠人的故事，后來出了一本書《造物之美》。此書引發(fā)的話題與熱度，到今天依然在延續(xù)。其中，兩位匠人的故事，足以讓我們窺見，不論是過去與現(xiàn)在，每一位頂尖匠人的背后，都是技藝與態(tài)度的雙重修煉。

曾德鈞和他的手工收音機(jī)Zeng Dejun and a radio he has manually made

一個(gè)香檳桶，售價(jià)9萬日元

中川周士的家，安在日本滋賀縣大津市鄉(xiāng)下的琵琶湖邊，一條鐵道線從附近穿過，周圍是連綿的青山和稻田。

鐵道線旁邊的房子，既是他的家，又是他的工作坊。

當(dāng)我拿起中川周士手工做的木碟子，可以看到刀鋒在木器上留下的細(xì)膩痕跡。一刀一刀，像是畫家的素描筆跡。

這樣的木器，就好像大自然中本來就有的一樣。而中川周士，不過是把它從一堆木材里取了出來。

過去，很多日本家庭是用大鐵鍋蒸米飯，然后把蒸好的米飯盛到飯桶里，端到桌旁，再盛到小碗里。要是在冬天，還會(huì)把飯桶放到藤制或棉布制的筐里保溫。

傳統(tǒng)的日式木桶，是將木片圍成圈，最后在外圍以金屬條或竹片固定。通過精湛的細(xì)木工，不用鐵釘和黏合劑，便能制作出牢固而沒有縫隙的木桶。

中川家的木工器具置滿了一面墻。Some carpentry tools at Shuji Nakagawa's home workshop

這種技藝，在日本也是歷史悠久——早在約700年前的室町時(shí)代就已形成。至江戶時(shí)代，幾乎家家戶戶都可見這種木桶。

中川周士的父親中川清司，曾有過輝煌的履歷。

中川木工算是京都的木桶老字號。他們從不使用釘子，制作中用到的有高野羅漢松和神代杉，也有在泥或火山灰中掩埋了2000年以上的杉木。不同木片的形色、收縮率皆不同，拼合時(shí)，就需要清晰地了解木頭的特性和纖維結(jié)構(gòu)，以及可產(chǎn)生的器具美感。

2001年，中川清司因?yàn)榫康募妓嚕徽J(rèn)定為木工的“人間國寶”。

但是現(xiàn)在，隨著時(shí)代與生活環(huán)境的變化，在日本人的生活中已經(jīng)很少用到木盆、木桶之類的東西了。做好的木盆和飯桶都沒有人要。這樣，木桶匠人就掙不到錢了。在當(dāng)下的日本，依然在從事手作木桶和擁有此技術(shù)的作坊，從多年前的250家減到今天的不出3家。

中川木工是其中最負(fù)盛名的一家。但是，他們也面臨著怎樣應(yīng)對新變化的難題。

中川周士從父輩手中接過擔(dān)子，他想讓木頭重新介入現(xiàn)代生活里來。

中川周士1968年生于京都，畢業(yè)于京都精華大學(xué)美術(shù)學(xué)院的雕塑專業(yè)。畢業(yè)后，師從父親中川清司，學(xué)習(xí)木桶、指物、刳物、轆轱等技術(shù)。

為了不讓手中的技藝消失，他必須做出創(chuàng)新的商品。面對西方美學(xué)與工業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)的強(qiáng)烈沖擊，中川木工的堅(jiān)守與創(chuàng)新，成為現(xiàn)代設(shè)計(jì)的靈感之源。

他想到了香檳桶。平時(shí)在飯店里所見，常是不銹鋼香檳桶。那種不銹鋼香檳桶放入冰塊，再放入香檳，半小時(shí)后金屬的桶外壁會(huì)起霧，然后結(jié)成水珠，桶底會(huì)形成一攤水。而木制香檳桶，木制的外壁不起霧、不結(jié)水珠，桶底也是干的，不會(huì)積水。這就是木制香檳桶的獨(dú)特性。

他開始做香檳桶，用長了上百年的木材——檜木，按一種弧度鋸成片，用刨子刨光。他手中的木桶，不再是傳統(tǒng)的那個(gè)木桶。那是一件現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)作品。

這個(gè)木桶用20塊木片拼成，木片與木片之間的縫隙小到0.1毫米，不能漏出光來，木片之間打孔用竹棍兒連在一起，不需要膠水粘。從上部看下去，香檳桶的俯視截面是橄欖型的，中間寬，兩頭尖。如此精細(xì)，令人贊嘆，簡直是藝術(shù)品。這樣一個(gè)香檳桶，售價(jià)92400日元，折合人民幣約7000元，而且還供不應(yīng)求。

這樣的香檳桶，被世界頂級香檳酒唐培里儂的老板看中，他們在香檳桶壁上燙上了唐培里儂的Logo，光他們一家的銷售價(jià)就約合210萬元人民幣。

手工收音機(jī)，賣出1000多萬元

在這次“京都和風(fēng)家電展”上，還有一位中國匠人——曾德鈞。他自小對收音機(jī)著迷，熱愛收音機(jī)及電臺(tái)文化，深信這是人類史上的聲音傳奇，希望有溫度、有故事的聲音能夠繼續(xù)傳遞。為此，他逆時(shí)代而上，重拾電臺(tái)黃金時(shí)代的經(jīng)典，創(chuàng)立“貓王收音機(jī)”。

曾德鈞很早就是“收音機(jī)專業(yè)戶”了。

他喜歡收音機(jī)，從小就喜歡。他自己用零件攢過小礦石機(jī)，自己裝過半導(dǎo)體機(jī)，也去買過電子管機(jī)，生產(chǎn)各種各樣的收音機(jī)。

當(dāng)他把一堆零件組裝起來，盤腿坐在收音機(jī)前，聽著機(jī)子里傳出遙遠(yuǎn)的聲音時(shí)，那種沉醉感令他著迷。

到了60歲，為了圓夢，他和那些年輕創(chuàng)客一樣，每天背著十幾斤的雙肩包，為自己的創(chuàng)業(yè)項(xiàng)目不斷鉆研、奔波。歷時(shí)10年設(shè)計(jì)的“貓王”收音機(jī)，終于因其復(fù)古的造型和飽滿的音質(zhì)，在某眾籌平臺(tái)上一舉成名。

他是一個(gè)固執(zhí)的人。

上世紀(jì)80年代以后，他所做的工作與音響相關(guān)。雖然收音機(jī)也一直伴隨著他，但是對收音機(jī)音質(zhì)開始不滿意了，甚至認(rèn)為收音機(jī)的音質(zhì)也許就這樣。直到2000年以后，接觸了國外的優(yōu)秀收音機(jī)，發(fā)現(xiàn)其音質(zhì)是那么美妙動(dòng)人、富有魅力，甚至在聲音風(fēng)格上形成了自己獨(dú)有而且是音響不能替代的文化。

從那時(shí)起，他開始夢想做出一臺(tái)性能優(yōu)異、聲音優(yōu)秀的收音機(jī)。

他曾設(shè)計(jì)出了國內(nèi)第一臺(tái)Hi-Fi商品化膽機(jī)，人們稱他為“中國膽機(jī)之父”。他對于音質(zhì)是非常挑剔的，從收音機(jī)特有的“滋啦滋啦”，到清晰悅耳的調(diào)音過程，這里有著獨(dú)特的復(fù)古意味。對于收音機(jī)的外觀打造，也遵循著溫潤的手工氣質(zhì)。

老曾發(fā)起眾籌，得到資金和用戶的支持之后，他開始專注于“貓王系列”的研發(fā)，型號從便攜式“貓王mini”到立柜式“貓王bigger”，價(jià)格從幾萬到幾百。為了適應(yīng)新的需求，他又在這個(gè)型號上加進(jìn)了藍(lán)牙功能。

本文筆者（左）和中川周士在手工香檳木桶前合影。Zhou Huacheng and Shuji Nakagawa pose for a photo in front of a handmade Champagne bucket.

工作中的曾德鈞很專注。Zeng Dejun at work in his studio

有用戶說，老曾的收音機(jī)彌漫著強(qiáng)烈的個(gè)人風(fēng)格。

也有人不理解老曾為什么要做貓王收音機(jī)，因?yàn)樗坪鯊纳虡I(yè)角度來說，收音機(jī)并沒有太大的銷量。但是對于老曾來說，銷量從來不是他要顧慮的東西，本質(zhì)上他更像是一個(gè)藝術(shù)家、一個(gè)工匠。

說起貓王收音機(jī)，一般人可能不太了解，但國內(nèi)發(fā)燒友圈子對這款收音機(jī)早已熱捧。這款收音機(jī)由純實(shí)木手工打造，外形仿古，聲音自然而通透，凝聚了設(shè)計(jì)者的匠心。

好的東西，自然會(huì)凝聚熱愛它的人。越來越多的朋友，通過各種途徑知道了曾德鈞和他的貓王收音機(jī)。人們著迷于這臺(tái)收音機(jī)，并在各自的朋友圈里散發(fā)。可以說，在這個(gè)時(shí)代，貓王收音機(jī)緩慢地構(gòu)筑了一個(gè)屬于它自己的“朋友圈”。

自2013年開始，曾德鈞和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)就積極地參與到互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的眾籌中去，此后他們做了十多個(gè)眾籌項(xiàng)目，獲得了1000多萬元的銷售額，也獲得了大家的關(guān)注。同時(shí)，他們也不斷調(diào)整自己的產(chǎn)品思路。此后，貓王收音機(jī)的銷量一路大漲，成為文藝群體的必備生活用品。

“這個(gè)時(shí)代是一個(gè)產(chǎn)品過剩的時(shí)代，市場不缺產(chǎn)品，因此我們所做的產(chǎn)品，不是從需求出發(fā)，而是從如何引起和滿足大家的興趣出發(fā)，從如何滿足大家對生活方式的要求出發(fā)。”

匠人對物品有感情，而不像商人一樣只將它看作掙錢的產(chǎn)品。貓王收音機(jī)正是如此，它是曾德鈞夢想的延續(xù)，又凝聚著互聯(lián)網(wǎng)時(shí)代曾德鈞對品牌的重新思考。

在它身上，我們看見了曾德鈞一以貫之的匠心，以及匠心在這個(gè)時(shí)代的持續(xù)生長。

The Beauty of Dedication

By Zhou Huacheng

June 25, 2019 celebrated the first anniversary of the founding of Matsushita Memorial Museum in Beijing. A series of activities such as workshops, talk shows,and exhibitions was held there to mark the occasion. One of the exhibitions portrayed home appliances made by Japanese masters. On display were interesting examples of finest craftsmanship, imagination and perfectionism. For example, a handmade champagne bucket with a special cooling system using Panasonic IH technology, a tea canister that can play music like a music box, a two-blade electric fan that produces soft breeze that makes one feel like walking through a bamboo forest…Each of the products displayed is a piece of art that illustrates the magic of weaving modern materials and technology into traditional Japanese handicraft to produce something perfectly functional and super beautiful.

The activities at the museum breathed some soothing, cool air into the sizzling summer heat of Beijing. A talk show on July 19 at the museum featured two guest speakers. One was Shuji Nakagawa, a Japanese woodwork master, and the other Chinese craftsman Zeng Dejun. I presided at the show.

中川周士在父輩基礎(chǔ)上創(chuàng)新的手工香檳木桶。Shuji Nakagawa makes this Champagne bucket, an improvement on his father's original design.

葉片藏在竹制品中的創(chuàng)意電風(fēng)扇，在“京都和風(fēng)家電展”中展示。An electric fan with blades hidden inside a bamboo device on display at the exhibition

Shuji Nakagawa

Shuji Nakagawa's home-cum-workplace is a house in the suburbs of Otsu City,Shiga Prefecture in Japan. In the lakeside house with a gorgeous view of mountains and paddy fields, the craftsman produces all kinds of woodwork using traditional Japanese carpentry skills that eclipse all modern, high-tech inventions. “For craftsmen,the best materials are made by Nature, and all you have to do is to follow the natural rules,” he says.

His wood rice barrel shows the die-hard carpentry that has a history dating back more than 700 years to the Muromachi Period of Japan, running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The wood barrels are perfectly seamless and stunningly durable, without using any iron nail or adhesive.

The master learned the skills from his carpenter father, who ranks among Japan's best craftsmen and “a national treasure”.The time-honored wood barrel brand in Kyoto, Nakagawa Carpentry is best known for its high-quality wood pieces put together without using nails. The studio's hypercritical eye for wood materials also ensures the superb aesthetic beauty and uniqueness of each product.

The studio's super quality rice barrels,however, have long lost popularity because of drastic changes of the lifestyle of modern Japan, making Shuji Nakagawa, who has taken the relay baton from his father, think about new possibilities in the stark market reality that the number of traditional barrel makers in Japan has dropped from more than 250 to 3.

After graduation from Kyoto Seika University with a degree in sculpture, Shuji Nakagawa spent years learning the trade from his father and thinking about innovation. He started with champagne buckets,believing that wood is a better material than the stainless steel type widely used in hotels and restaurants. The result is a beautiful piece of art that sells for 92,400 yen (about 7,000 yuan) and has proved a great market success. Nakagawa's invention also caught the attention of Dom Perignon for its superb quality and chic, minimalism design. The logo of this world-famous vintage champagne brand embroidered onto the bucket also adds immense value to the Japanese studio and added a new dimension to the family glory of Nakagawa Carpentry.

Zeng Dejun

One of the participants of the exhibition is Zeng Dejun, a vintage radio collector whose passion for this little sound-making box began when he was a little child. For him, the joy and satisfaction of sitting in front of a radio put together by himself using whatever components he could lay his hands on and listening to the sound produced by the machine is beyond description. He turned his childhood hobby into something he made a living with in the 1980s, and has since stayed in the acoustic world to explore new possibilities of sound.

Zeng's “radio dream” came true when he turned 60. His “Elvis Presley” Radio series that took him 10 years to finalize the design includes a range of types such as“Mini” and “Bigger”. The series have won a following.

It takes a real radio enthusiast to appreciate all the effort Zeng Dejun put into “Elvis Presley”, a purely hand-made piece of art that best explains the meaning of “craftsmanship” and delights all senses. Sales volume has never been a concern for Zeng. He is an artist that makes things which make him truly happy.

“The market is never short of anything.What we strive to do is to make something that truly inspires the lifestyle of people today.”

Craftsmanship, essentially, is the interplay of skills and the right attitude. It is the combination of two hands, sharp eyes and determined pursuit of perfection, which is something Nakagawa Shuji and Zeng Dejun have in common. What a true craftsman dreams to do is to make everyday life a better one.

Three years ago, I spent some time in Japan looking for stories about traditional Japanese artisans, and put together a book titledThe Beauty of Craftsthat triggered heated discussion after I came back in China. In a broader sense, it is a topic that should forever motivate all professionals in all walks of life.The Beauty of Craftsis all about concentration and dedication,about love for life, and about holding fast to dreams.