Shakanya-san

Photo © pinboke_planet
 
Plastering is a highly regarded profession in Japan. Plasterers are called “sakan,” “shakan (sounds even more professional),” “shakanya-san (more friendly)”…

In Japan, any kind of building construction will require these traditionally-trained craftsmen to add integrity to the architecture.

Most apprentices in traditional craftsmanship related to architecture are middle school or high school graduates. So, if you study architecture at Harvard, “To-Dai” or “Kyo-Dai,” statistically, your chance of becoming a shakanya-san is infinitely close to zero.

This week, we are going to follow the work of a graduate of Kyoto University (Kyo-Dai) Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Architecture and Architectural Systems, who happens to be a shakanya-san with a first-degree license.