Matsumoto Furniture Strong, durable, straightforward Matsumoto Furniture is a sturdy furniture made of the solid zelkova, Mizume (Betula grossa) and udaikanba (Betula maximowicziana) wood, using established joinery techniques. I spoke to a carpenter who has inherited the Matsumoto Furniture cabinetmaking legacy and asked him what makes it special. Mr Yoshiyuki Masuda, born in Matsumoto in 1933. He doesn't drink, but likes to listen to music. 50-year-old saw Mr Yoshiyuki Masuda was born in 1933 and apprenticed to a master cabinetmaker at the age of 15. He has been making Matsumoto Furniture for more than half a century. But he recalls that the start of his so-called apprenticeship was spent more in "looking after the master's kids" than anything else. He left that master for another and it was from him that he received his first saw. When the saw became blunt he was told that one sharpened the teeth and kept on using it. And so it was that Mr Masuda used his first saw until there were almost no teeth left to sharpen. This saw still stands as a witness to Mr Masuda's 50 years of carpentering. His well-used saw has the teeth worn down on one side. "Yoshi" underneath It is customary in the general furniture industry for different parts of the process to be handled by different workers. For example, the legs of a chair and the back will be made by separate specialists. But Matsumoto Furniture is all made by one craftsman from start to finish. "Yep, we have to do everything from one to ten," says Mr Masuda. "Of course, it's harder than if you are just concentrating on one job, but then again it's much more interesting." To prove that they have been crafted by one individual each Matsumoto Furniture piece has the name of the creator carved underneath where it cannot be seen - a guarantee of quality. Mr Masuda has adopted the first character of his given name, "Yoshi," as his mark. How many hundreds of times has he carved that character? And with each successive one, his confidence and pride have grown. He tells me that he has met people who bought his furniture years and years ago who say they are still using it. Matsumoto Furniture is one of the few crafts where, if one wanted to -- one could put a face to the creation. He carves the character "yoshi" on his creations. A beauty that grows with use "The beauty of Matsumoto Furniture is the solid timber," says Mr Masuda. He explains it is quite different from the veneers found in so many other furniture manufacturers. Solid timber, of course, is still living and it expands and contracts with the amount of moisture in the air, and this has to be taken into account by the cabinetmaker. "If you want a material that doesn't move, then you might as well use plastic," says Mr Masuda, explaining how solid timber makes furniture interesting and gives it value. Solid wood furniture is also more sturdy and it gets more beautiful with age. He tells me of a timber called mizumezakura, a kind of cherry that develops a grain described as tiger's eyes. And he notes that solid timber furniture can be restored to new. Making a groove with the pleasing sound of a chisel "I'm a craftsman" One of the characteristics of Matsumoto Furniture is its special processing method - one such method is the use of special bamboo bolts to give added strength to the wooden tenons and make the construction sturdy. I ask why he has to go to so much trouble. Mr Masuda responds that he is a craftsman, not a salesman and all he cares about is doing a good job and making the customer happy. "There is nothing more encouraging than when people actually use my creations," he says, and tells me how thrilled he is when a customer brings back a piece of furniture for repair or restoration. "It makes me feel so proud to know that they have been using it to that extent." With Matsumoto Furniture the customer knows that it is made by a craftsman whose work can be trusted.