29 July 2024

Nishikata Ryota: The Passion and Challenges of Tsuiki

Nishikata Ryota has been a craftsman of tsuiki for 22 years and works with his father, Nishikata Masashi, and his younger brother, Hiroshi.

Tsuiki is a metal crafting technique that involves hammering and embossing metal plates, such as gold, silver, copper, and tin. This complex method entails numerous stages and intricate craftsmanship, demanding considerable expertise.

Situated at the base of Mt. Yahiko in Niigata Prefecture, Seigado is in a region where high-quality copper was found around 300 years ago, and where the art of tsuiki has been cultivated since.When Team Musubi visited Seigado’s workshop, Ryota shared his passion for craftsmanship and his challenges in developing techniques and creating products.

Into the World of Tsuiki

From a young age, Ryota enjoyed creating things and drawing pictures. Wanting a career in artisanship, he went to a university where he could study courses such as ceramics and glass. He was particularly drawn to metal crafting and wanted to succeed his father's work and specialize in making tsuiki items. At that time, he was greatly inspired by the many graduate students, so he decided to further his studies in graduate school before joining the family business.

Seigado was founded shortly after the end of the war in 1945 by the first generation, Nishikata Minori (1917-1996). Mitsunori trained as a metal engraver in Tsubame City and established his own business in Bunsuimachi (now part of Tsubame City), where his family home was located. In 1991, the second generation Nishikata Masashi, relocated the workshop to the foot of Mt. Yahiko, and expanded the facilities to include a store where customers can see and purchase their products.

Tradition: Not Just to Preserve, but to Challenge

At Seigado’s workshop, the colors of metal crafts are meticulously named to emphasize their subtle differences in hue and tone. For example, pure red is called benishoku, and red mixed with blue or brown is called akaneiro, madder red. The red color is achieved by heating copper just short of the point where it burns through. All red tsuiki products intended for drinking purposes, such as cups, have an interior tin coating. This is crucial to prevent the unique metallic smell of copper and the development of verdigris over time.

When lining red-colored items with tin, the flame used in the process can damage the red color. Conversely, adding color after tinning causes the flame to completely burn off the tin layer. His father had made red tsuiki products like candlesticks, vases, and teapot stands but had never made items meant to be used for drinking.

There has always been a demand from customers asking, "Could you make a red cup for me?," and Ryota had been puzzled about how to create them. After numerous trials with a plating specialist, he finally succeeded. Ever since, Seigado's red tsuiki cups have garnered attention due to their rarity.

However, creating a completely red tsuiki cup remains quite difficult. The process often results in products with uneven red color. To avoid wasting these items, he preserved the remaining red and carefully washed off the areas where the color had faded, then added Seigado’s original blue or golden brown, creating two-tone products that blend red with other colors.

Crafting Excellence: The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

The joy of achieving what was once thought impossible is immense. However, for craftsmen like Ryota, the greatest joy comes from seeing the happiness of those who order their items. Ryota says, "Having skills alone is pointless if nobody wants what you make. I want to be able to craft things that are needed by customers.”

What has remained constant since he began his craft is his ambition to create a diverse array of items. Using copper and traditional hammered copperware tools, he aims to develop a wide range of items: household items, artistic pieces, products employing ancient techniques, and items integrating new methods. "I want to refine my current skills and design better things than I'm making now. I have a strong desire to enhance both my abilities and the quality of the items I deliver.”

Since his younger brother joined the workshop, Ryota has gradually been passing on his tasks to his brother. He says "I want my brother to do things that only he can do. We look forward to tackling new challenges, unexplored by our grandfather and father." Ryota hopes that in the near future, the three family members will each develop their own unique styles.

In the process of crafting, listening to the voices of users is incredibly important. Oftentimes, new methods and products are born from the needs of customers. Ryota continues to refine both traditional and new techniques to produce items that cater to specific occasions and preferences of his customers. There is no end to the work of a craftsman.