Magewappa・曲げわっぱ
Beginning in 2019, Brendan discovered magewappa (曲げわっぱ), a traditional form of bent woodware practiced for over 1000 years in Japan. In 2023, Brendan was selected to study under Shibata Yoshimasa at Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten in Odate, Japan, and was featured on the Japanese television program “Nihon Ni Ikitai.” In the years following, his woodworking practice has shifted in great part to the research and production of traditional magewappa, with a particular eye on translating the materials and techniques to his own prior expertise in Western-style woodwork and local materials, harvesting his own cherry bark and designing magewappa suited to a western clientele. In addition to presenting at “Fine Woodworking New England” on the subject, an article in Fine Woodworking magazine is forthcoming, as is a longer writing project concerning magewappa and its cultural and historical significance.
2019年、ブレンダンは日本で1000年以上の歴史を持つ伝統工芸「曲げわっぱ」と出会いました。2023年には秋田県大館市の柴田慶信商店にて柴田昌正に師事する機会を得て、日本のテレビ番組「日本に行きたい」にも出演しました。その後の数年間で、彼の木工活動は伝統的な曲げわっぱの研究と制作へと大きく比重を移しています。西洋木工の経験と地元の素材を活かし、自ら桜皮を採取しながら、西洋の顧客にも適した曲げわっぱの設計・制作に取り組んでいます。また、この分野についてFine Woodworking New Englandで発表を行い、「Fine Woodworking」誌への寄稿や、曲げわっぱの文化的・歴史的意義を扱う長編執筆プロジェクトも進行中です。
