For reasons I cannot fully understand, I was invited to work at Somakosha as a carpentry apprentice.
As I am not a young man and have a life with some complications, accepting the job wasn't straightforward.
The personal backstory is that when I received the offer, I was going through a separation. And as my family life unraveled, so did this idea that I could continue to travel to Japan together as I studied craft. This past year was supposed to be my last burst of training with people like the carpenters at Somakosha, and Tak Yoshino and Togo Miyashita at Mount Fuji Wood Culture Society. I figured I’d write about the last days of my pursuit, and then give up my dream of studying and working in Japan. Maybe I would return to my old career in product review.
But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. So, my ex and I came to an agreement where we could go to Japan, and she could study ceramics there. And, I could still see my daughter all the time.
Of course, moving to Japan with your ex seems crazy, no matter how well we get along. But something about the brief time at Chozen-ji gave me the sense to say yes and figure out the rest as I go. With so much at stake, I am forced to let go of whatever bad feelings I had held on to between us, and to move forward with a fresh perspective.
I’m sure my personal life will be tricky; and keeping up with apprentices half my age and masters who have been practicing as long as the apprentices have been alive will be difficult.
Despite all that, I recognize that this might be my last chance to bring this dream to life. So, I finally said yes. The first thing I did when accepting the job was to go to a physical therapist and show them a video of Jon hewing a giant log. I told them, I want to be able to do this and not die.
But while my body feels old, as soon as this decision was made, my spirit felt as big as the universe. Spending time at Somakosha this summer, unsurprisingly, I found the carpentry sublime at times. My energy seems to multiply effortlessly in Jon and Yama’s sensitive, dynamic, and joyful presence; with that, many new miracles, ideas, and connections began to unfold. I already am sensing how special each each person at Somakosha is, from apprentice to head carpenter, and look forward to building with them. I can't even imagine how beautiful this coming year will be, I just know it will be.
My business card will say "Carpentry Apprentice / Special Projects". I will swing a hammer and use my chisels and planes. But I will also continue to work on Paklan, photographing the carpenters at work, contributing to the school to help them spread their knowledge, including in the new advice column we are starting together. Ultimately, I am trying to come up with interesting collaborations and projects that will help spread sukiya carpentry all over the world, in every corner of life possible.
If you have a chance to visit us at the school, or have ideas for collaborations where we can help you build something, please drop us a line.
Here’s an abridged version of the formal letter where I wanted to give them a chance to change their mind:
April 3rd 2025
Yamamoto san and Stollenmeyer san, I request permission to work at Somakosha.
I know that I am not the average apprentice. I am not a young man; I am not an architect or a professional craftsperson yet. I also have some personal changes in my family life, the outcome of which I cannot predict. We aspire to stay a full school year. But, because of family changes, we can only commit to Somakosha for a trial period through the end of the year, starting in mid-August.
I will work hard, pay attention, and take honest feedback sincerely. For example, after being told to learn to sharpen faster, I have spent time and energy speeding up my process using all the methods I could find. I look at each piece of advice like a glass of cold water on a hot day.
Also, using my experience as a journalist, I would like to spread an understanding of Somakosha to the rest of the world.
These ideas overlap with my mission, which is to spread craft culture through the modern age; people have largely forgotten what human beings can do with their own hands, eyes and hearts. And how much more free and beautiful that can make a life.
I hope you can understand my dream, and allow me to contribute to Somakosha. If you agree, I will begin planning now.
Thank you,
Brian Lam
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