Akiyama Mokko Co., Ltd. Representative Director Toshiteru Akiyama

My mission is to bring joy to people and to nurture first-class craftsmen as people.

Representative Director of Akiyama Mokkou Limited Company　Toshiteru Akiyama　(Akiyama)

■ Profile
Born in Asuka, Nara Prefecture in 1943. After graduating from junior high school, he began his career as a furniture craftsman, and in 1971 he founded Akiyama Mokko Co., Ltd.
Akiyama Mokko's custom-made furniture is used in the State Guest House, the National Diet Building, the Imperial Household Agency, famous hotels, luxury brand stores, and more. In 2010, he founded the Akiyama School general incorporated association, and serves as its representative director. His unique artisan training system, which places emphasis on humanity, has attracted attention from both inside and outside the industry, and visitors come from all over Japan and even overseas to observe. His books include "Recommendations for Apprentices" (Gentosha), "Raising the Best" (Gendai Shorin), and his latest publication is "The secret to filial piety that will brighten your life" (PHP Institute), and the related DVD is the documentary film "Apprentice: I'm Going to Become a Furniture Maker" (Ortus Japan).

This solid wood furniture manufacturer is known for its unique approach to training craftsmen, with a focus on humanity.秋山木工Akiyama Toshiteru, CEO of Akiyama Mokko, is well known for his books such as "Raising the Best." Ever since his student days, he says, "I've loved making people happy through craftsmanship." What does it mean to "live according to one's destiny"? Why is it important to value humanity? We interviewed him about his life story dedicated to craftsmanship.

■I was terrible at studying, but my natural talent for "manufacturing" was born at the time.

I really didn't think about anything when I was a student. From the first grade of elementary school until I graduated from junior high school, I had really bad grades and kept getting failing grades for the nine years. It wasn't until the second year of junior high school that I was able to write my own name in kanji. You've never seen anyone like that before (laughs). Starting work right after graduating from junior high school wasn't that unusual back then, but even if I had taken the high school entrance exam, I don't think I would have passed. I had no intention of going on to high school; all I wanted was to get out into the world and work for my family. My report card was a mess, but I was great at making things. I made tables and chairs, and sometimes I would repair houses. Whenever a typhoon came, I was in high demand for repairs in the neighborhood. I worked part-time as a repairman from elementary school onwards. It made me so happy that people relied on me in a field I was good at.

During his early years, he worked feverishly and was nicknamed "Akiyama the Blotting Paper."

I decided to pursue manufacturing as my main occupation even after I entered the workforce in my second year of junior high school. It all started when the men and women in my village told me, "You're going to be a joiner," as if it were a matter of course. I still remember the words of the villagers: "As long as you have a trade, you won't have any problems no matter what era you live in." From the moment I graduated from junior high school and started working, I knew this was the only way I could make a living, so I worked with passion. It was a job I'd been getting paid for since elementary school. The company I joined was considered a "black company" by most people, and I would wake up at 5 a.m. and work until late at night. During my three and a half years as an apprentice, I spent a lot of time observing people. I'm someone who easily falls in love, so I absorbed the things that others admired. I was even called "Akiyama the Blotting Paper." However, it's important to first look at people's good points and then look at their bad points. First, identify what you can emulate in others, learn from them, and absorb them. However, since no one is perfect, you can always find other people's faults later and use them as a negative example.

■ Working day and night, even sacrificing sleep. Becoming number one in the company and setting out on the path to independence.

I have been working as a craftsman since I was 16, and at the age of 26 I made a large screen for the Imperial Palace, which is used for events such as the award ceremony of the Order of Culture. This was an honorable job that only the best craftsmen in Japan could do.
At the time, I worked from 8:30 to 5:00 PM, then went to design school. After that, I helped out at another company. So I would work until around 3:00 AM. So, I left work earlier than anyone else at the company I was working for, but I also did better work than anyone else. Just when I was number one at the company, I was fired and left. I then wanted to go to Europe to reach even greater heights, but when I left the company, two other talented craftsmen said, "We're quitting too," and left. I couldn't go to Europe with them, so I decided to start my own company.

■I felt that my mission was to "train 10 craftsmen who will surpass me as human beings."

Even though I wasn't very good at studying, the people around me had helped me grow into a fully-fledged craftsman, so I felt it was my destiny to train first-class craftsmen myself.That's why I taught the basics of furniture making thoroughly to the craftsmen who came to my company, and nurtured them to become first-class craftsmen.
If I had kept these trained craftsmen, I would have made a lot of money, but I didn't want my students to feed me, so I let them go out on their own. However, the greatest feature of my company is that we don't just teach them furniture-making techniques; we also emphasize the importance of being filial to one's parents and nurturing their humanity. None of the successful people I've seen so far haven't been filial to their parents. I believe the best way to show your parents your filial piety is to impress them and accomplish something so amazing that it amazes them. This is the same as making customers happy. We often fire employees at our company because we don't need people who don't care about others. The job of a craftsman is all about pleasing others, that's all. To convey this sentiment, our craftsmen generally live in dormitories. Living together in a community naturally teaches them to care about others.

■Don't just pursue making money. Learn with the mindset that you don't mind working for free.

You're probably attending university, but are you just lazing around aimlessly? Are you just working part-time to earn money to spend it on leisure? Everyone has a natural talent that's unmatched by anyone else. Make use of it as soon as possible. To do so, you need to gain work experience early on. While attending university to specialize is extremely important, you must study with a sense of purpose. It's a waste to just go to university for no particular reason during your youth, when learning is most readily available. It's better to get out into the world and work. There's also a big difference between those who grow and those who don't, even with just a part-time job. Don't take a part-time job just to earn money. Work hard, thinking, "Even if it's unpaid, I want to learn and grow from this person," and approach it with the goal of learning. If you do that, I'm sure those with more experience in life will be happy to teach you. And don't think of a day as 24 hours, think of it as 48 hours, and make the most of it. Those who make daily efforts like this will become first-class individuals.

Student Newspaper Online Interview November 27, 2022, Tokai University 4th Year Student Misaki Otsuka