Natsumi Miyazono (宮薗 なつみ) / miyazono spoon

Self-Introduction
For babies, grandfathers and grandmothers.
Spoons for everyone to use.
"Wouldn’t it be nice if there were spoons like this?"
With that thought as my concept,
I create spoons that suit different foods and tableware.
-- The origin of miyazano spoon --
Summer at 19.
I happened to see a documentary on TV about a traditional craft that would disappear because no one was there to carry it on.
It was during a time when I was in between school and university, unsure of my next step.
“If I could, I’d want to become an apprentice.”
“It would be such a waste to let it end.”
"I feel kind of frustrated."
That was the moment I first became interested in traditional crafts and making things by hand.
I convinced my parents by saying, "If I don't get into university, I'll go off to train instead!"... But I ended up going to university.
Later, I encountered wood and urushi (Japanese lacquer),
and I thought, “I want to live surrounded by things I made myself.”
That’s how I began making furniture, tableware, and other everyday items.
The first spoon I ever made—I didn’t even know how to make one properly. I simply carved away at the wood like a sculpture.
I made four in total.
The last one I didn’t finish, as I ran out of energy...

It’s a part of my journey I want to cherish.

There’s no way I’d make one like this now.
But it vividly reminds me of how hard I tried back then.

After working for a company, I took on several part-time jobs...
There was a time when I stepped away from woodworking,
but in 2011, I founded miyazono spoon and returned to the craft.
Introduction from the Shop Owner
There used to be a French restaurant in Kyobashi, Tokyo, called La Bonne Nouvelle. I met several people there who are still good friends today. La Bonne was the kind of place where relationships formed naturally, and we’d often end up crossing paths again and again.

At the end of 2016, I had a bit too much to drink and missed the last bullet train from Tokyo Station. I decided to walk over to La Bonne (what I expected to do at a French restaurant at that hour, I still don’t know). That’s when I met Miyazono-san. She was cheerful, with a lovely smile that left a lasting impression.
In February 2018, I visited her home and workshop in Ninomiya, Kanagawa, along with some friends connected through La Bonne, including the owner, Sasaki-san, who often accompanies me on outings. Miyazono-san’s workshop is dedicated entirely to spoons. There are hardly any machines, and her carving method is unique. I found myself completely absorbed in the way she moved.
The first spoon I bought from her was a dinner spoon. The bowl of the spoon was finished with wiped urushi lacquer, while the handle had a walnut oil finish. The urushi lacquer was applied so thinly that the wood grain remained clearly visible. You could feel how carefully and thoughtfully each one was made. (Sadly, the spoon in the photo—I lost it… (cry))

The series of movements Miyazono-san has repeated countless times to make her spoons is the pinnacle of functional beauty. Powerful, graceful, precise, fluid—without a hint of hesitation. It may sound like an odd comparison, but it reminds me of the scene near the end of the film "A Film About Coffee", where Daibo-san is shown brewing coffee. It’s that same kind of beauty and quiet resonance. (Though they are, of course, of very different generations.)



Miyazono-san’s spoons are often used in restaurants—not just at La Bonne, but also at Boulangerie Yamashita, also located in Ninomiya.

Her spoons inspire a sense of care and attention toward eating. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to use one for yourself.

