Members of the Fine Woodwork Association WA, based in Perth, Western Australia, visited our workshop in Sumiyama.

Members of the Fine Woodwork Association WA, based in Perth, Western Australia, visited our workshop in Sumiyama. Home | Fine Woodwork Association WA

Established in 1987 and now in its 39th year, this organization is dedicated to promoting exchange and woodworking culture through activities such as sharing woodworking techniques and holding annual competitions.

The tree in the mark apparently represents F W WA ↓

This is the redesigned logo. It's apparently a picture of a Western-style plane placed on a tree stump.

Our guide was Isao Kitabayashi ( @isao.kitaba ) of 'COS KYOTO' ( @coskyoto ), an organization that values community exchange and learning, and works to utilize the wisdom of Japanese regions in the present and connect it to the future .

We previously connected through the DESIGN WEEK KYOTO @designweekkyoto event.

Australia is about 20 times larger than Japan.

Australia has a population of approximately 26 million, while Japan has a population of approximately 124 million. Therefore, while Australia's land area is 20 times that of Japan, its population is only about one-fifth of Japan's.

We heard some interesting stories, including "In order to protect 17% of Australia's land area, the Environmental Act (EPBC Act) will be amended in 2025, requiring national review for logging," and "Australia's native trees."

When sharing "the feelings we have when we create things",

We were able to understand each other's feelings, even though we come from different countries and cultures.

Manufacturing is

It's not just about making things.

Manufacturing has a common "language."

Transcending time and place.

But without a trigger,

It cannot be conveyed across the ocean.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

I received assistance from the interpreter.

It's full of humor, and the humor comes from the fact that it becomes difficult to understand when translated.

The interpreter mentioned that woodworking terminology is difficult to translate, but she cheerfully carried it out, which was a great help.

I wasn't very good at speaking English,

We were colleagues who used the same "manufacturing language."

With "music," you can play together "now" in a jam session, but

That's not what I'm good at when it comes to "woodworking and craftsmanship,"

Sharing this moment isn't possible right now.

"Incorporating" this "present" experience into the creation of "things"

It's only when you perceive it through an object that it truly gets conveyed.

The part where there is a time lag.

"We can communicate through things, transcending the past, future, and place."

I was reminded once again of those characteristics.

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よくあるご質問

Q：木工の学生です。工房見学は可能ですか？ ​

A：木工の学生の集団見学、個別見学については、「お客様の来訪予約」と「家具製作納期予定」を優先しながら状況に応じて、都度調整させて頂きお返事差し上げています。木工学生・工房見学希望の旨ご明記ください。タイミングにより、お断りせざるを得ない場合は悪しからずご了承下さい。　　また、京都炭山朝倉木工が１０年前から参加出展してきた「木工家ウィークNAGOYA」（毎年６月頃開催）へのご来場をご検討ください。これまでの活動をまとめたブログはこちら

木工のものをご購入したい方には40人の作家の作品を一度に見ることが出来ますし、木工作家と直接話がしたい方にとっても、一年に一度の機会です。（朝倉木工の今後の出展は未定です。2026年からは京都の工房を育てていく時期に移行し木工家ウィークNAGOYA への出展は毎年ではなくなりました。）

（木工家ウィークNAGOYAとは、2008年より毎年初夏の季節に全国各地から多くの木工家が名古屋に集い、各所で作品展、フォーラム（講演会、勉強会）、ワークショップなどを開催。その中の「木の家具40人展」というイベントには全国から木工作家が集まり合同で展示を行います。）

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I'm a woodworking student. Is it possible to visit your workshop?

A: For group or individual visits by woodworking students, we will respond case by case, taking into account 'customer visit reservations' and 'furniture production schedule priorities.' Please clearly state that you are a woodworking student and wish to visit the workshop. Depending on the timing, we may unfortunately have to decline, so we ask for your understanding. Please also consider visiting the “Woodworker Week NAGOYA,” held around June every year, which Kyoto Sumiyama Asakura Woodworking has been participating in for the past 10 years.　Here's the blog that sums up my activities so far

If you want to buy woodworking items, you can see the works of 40 artists all at once, and for those who want to talk directly with woodworking craftsmen, it's a once-a-year opportunity. (As for Asakura Woodworking, future exhibitions are undecided. Starting in 2026, they'll be focusing on developing their Kyoto workshop, so they won't be exhibiting at Woodworker Week NAGOYA every year.)

（Woodworkers Week NAGOYA is an event where, since 2008, many woodworkers from all over Japan gather in Nagoya every early summer, holding exhibitions, forums (lectures and study sessions), workshops, and more at various locations.At the event called '40 Wood Furniture Artists Exhibition,' woodworkers from all over the country gather to hold a joint exhibition.）

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Date Published: 2026/9/12

Date Modified: 2026/9/12

Author: Reina Asakura

Publisher: Kyoto Sumiyama Asakura Woodworking

Kyoto Sumiyama Asakura Mokkou

Quality Furniture Design & Woodworks