Mitsunobu Hirota (廣田 充伸) / HIROCRAFT
Self-Introduction
Back in my student days, I spent most of my time mountain climbing. That led me to a part-time job centered on weather observation in mountainous areas—work that turned into a full-time career for 18 years.
During that time, with the desire to bring nature into urban life, I began making wooden items, such as children's toys and furniture, using trees cut down in parks.
I decided to quit my job due to my strong desire to work long term as a woodworker and to raise my children in a place rich in nature.
I learned the basic techniques of woodworking at a vocational training school, then moved to a satoyama (woodland village) in Tochigi Prefecture and turned an old silkworm shed with a corrugated iron roof into my own workshop.
My former job involved interpreting weather and terrain data, processing it with an awareness of natural patterns, and presenting the results in an optimal format to clients. In my current work, although the materials and tools are different, I approach it with a similar mindset—reading and shaping trees that once lived in nature, and creating pieces that allow people to "feel the warmth of wood and the richness of the natural world in everyday life."
At HIROCRAFT, my wife, Michika Hirota, contributes to our creations by providing design and hand-lettering.
Biography
| 1965 | Born in Arakawa, Tokyo. |
| 1989 | Graduated from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science II, Tokyo University of Science. |
| 1990 | Joined a meteorological consulting company. |
| 2003 | Left the company and entered Hannō Vocational Training School in Saitama. |
| 2005 | Started “HIROCRAFT” in Bato (now Nakagawa Town), Tochigi Prefecture. |
- I use locally felled hardwoods and reclaimed wood in my work, and I make a point of using all leftover wood by turning it into accessories or materials for workshops.
- Since 2010, I have been making wooden "Tokkun Truck" based on the illustrations in The Family of Fourteen by picture book author Kazuo Iwamura. To reflect the imagery of the forest where the mouse family lives, I use a variety of wood species for the parts and assemble them in unique combinations—each "Tokkun Truck" is truly "one of a kind".
- I co-organize and take part in Naka Marche, a monthly market held in various locations along the Naka River, based on the concept of “handmade, local, and body-friendly.”
- Since 2011, I’ve been organizing open-air concerts featuring the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) in the rice terraces near my workshop, hoping to inspire urban visitors to connect with life in the satoyama.
Introduction from the Shop Owner
One of the first ways I got to know people in my new hometown was through a coffee shop called Akimoto Coffee Roastery in Ōtawara. I remember seeing a flyer for their opening in the local newspaper and thinking right away that I wanted to visit.
Later on, I learned a lot about coffee from the owner, Kenta Akimoto (who, by the way, is quite a unique character himself). In April 2015, he told me he would be joining a local market, so I decided to go. That’s where I met Mitsunobu Hirota-san—also known as Hiro-san—a woodworker and one of the key people in "Naka Marche," a market held in the northern part of Tochigi Prefecture.
The moment I met Hiro, I was drawn to his gentle and sincere personality. There’s a quiet warmth about him that immediately made me a fan.
My children enjoyed his woodworking workshops, and I gradually started collecting his wooden pieces. I also visited his workshop several times in Bato (now Nakagawa Town). His wife, Michika-san, is also a wonderful person, and whether at the market or at their workshop, they always welcomed us with warm smiles.
Their handcrafted wooden items have become a part of our daily life—especially the bread plates we use every day at the table. We use them not just as bread plates, but also as everyday side plates. Instead of using many small dishes, we just pile everything onto that one plate. The photo here is from a New Year’s meal a while ago, but on weekdays we often just put a frying pan or a pot right in the middle of the table! (laughs)
Based on that bread plate, I asked Hiro to make a version suited to my needs. That became our shop’s original item—the Square Serving Plate.
I hope you’ll bring Hirota’s handmade wooden items, full of his kind personality and crafted at the foot of the mountains in Nakagawa Town, into your own daily life.