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A Century of Craft, A Master's Voice
[No. 2] Life Is Like a Marathon—What "Living National Treasure" Mamoru Nakagawa Learned from Balancing Work & Craft
2025.06.12
[No. 2] Life Is Like a Marathon—What "Living National Treasure" Mamoru Nakagawa Learned from Balancing Work & Craft

Ishikawa

Mamoru Nakagawa
Map

Mamoru Nakagawa

Mamoru Nakagawa, Living National Treasure (Chokin metal carving) and leading figure of Kaga Zogan. He creates Kaga Zogan works by inlaying gold and silver into metal, earning recognition both in Japan and internationally.

Kaga Zogan

The process involves carving grooves into a metal surface and inlaying gold or silver into those grooves to form patterns. Materials include metals such as iron or copper combined with precious metals like gold and silver. It is used for decorative objects and craft pieces, characterized by highly detailed designs.

Mamoru Nakagawa, a Living National Treasure, described his work as an industrial designer and his training in crafts as far more demanding than one might imagine. Looking back on those days, he reflects that “life is like a full marathon.”
[No. 2] Life Is Like a Marathon—What "Living National Treasure" Mamoru Nakagawa Learned from Balancing Work & Craft
Last time, we discovered that Mamoru Nakagawa, a leading figure in "Kaga Zogan (加賀象嵌)" and a Living National Treasure, actually spent his early years working as an industrial designer with no connection to traditional crafts at all.
To expand his design repertoire, Nakagawa visited local exhibitions. There, he encountered Zogan and took his first steps into the world of crafts. Impressed by its aesthetic beauty, he might have sensed a connection to his childhood hobby of making paper airplanes.
Once he becomes focused on something, Nakagawa never compromises. This attitude was applied both to his work at the testing center and his pursuit of mastering crafts. In this installment, we’ll share the grueling days of Nakagawa’s apprenticeship in his youth and the insights he gained along the way.
<In the previous article, we explored Nakagawa’s encounter with Zogan and his childhood memories in depth. For details, check here.>
[No. 1] From Electronics Manufacturer Employee to the Pinnacle of Traditional Crafts—Mamoru Nakagawa, Leading Kaga Zogan Expert & Living National Treasure, Shares His Life Story

Seeking the Artisans

[No. 1] From Electronics Manufacturer Employee to the Pinnacle of Traditional Crafts—Mamoru Nakagawa, Leading Kaga Zogan Expert & Living National Treasure, Shares His Life Story

Only Time & Money Disappear

After his fateful encounter with Zogan while working at the prefectural testing center, Nakagawa began juggling life as both a salaryman and an artisan. However, the daily reality of working on Kaga Zogan was nothing like what Nakagawa had pictured.

"Even after a year, I would only finish about three large pieces, or maybe five small ones. You have to carve the metal, then inlay gold or silver—that takes about twice as long as other crafts.

In the beginning, I failed a lot too, so time slipped by in the blink of an eye, and money for metal supplies disappeared just as fast."

Looking back, Nakagawa says as someone specialized in industrial design, he had no idea it would take so much time and money to create just one piece. Because of this intensive commitment, people around him eventually fell away and disappeared.

Even if you’re captivated by the world of crafts, there are structural challenges that make it tough to continue.

"As a salaryman, you get a paycheck every month. But in crafts, if you don’t sell your work, no money comes in. On top of that, after deducting materials, you’re left with only about a third of the selling price. I only became able to make a living through my craft after I was in my sixties."

Juggling All-Nighters at the Testing Center & Craft

Thinking that it would be fine to secure another source of income until you can go independent seems logical, but it's not that simple. In reality, while Nakagawa was working at the prefectural testing center and learning his craft, his daily life was extremely harsh.

"While working at the testing center, I was also studying craftwork, so basically, I was staying up all night most of the time. There were times when I went for three nights straight without sleep. When that happens, you look pale, you start to feel nauseous—it’s just terrible."

Now, Nakagawa can look back on it as a good memory, but you may wonder what his daily schedule looked like.

"Work at the testing center finished at 5:15 p.m. Since I lived nearby, I’d finish dinner by 6:30, then take about a two-hour nap. It was hard to switch my mindset from salaryman mode to crafting mode, so unless I slept a bit, I just couldn’t do it.

After that, I’d work on my craft until about 4 a.m., sipping coffee to stay awake. Then, I’d take another short nap and head back to the testing center. That was my daily routine."

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Life Is a Full Marathon

He says he continued this harsh lifestyle for about 11 years. Was there any special reason why he was able to keep going for so long? Apparently, besides simply loving Zogan, Nakagawa also held a particular belief.

"No matter how much you do the same thing day after day, you'll never grow as a person.

It's just like a marathon. To run 42.195km, even taking one step forward, there may not be any difference in the first few kilometers, but by the time you cross the finish line, you could be in first place. That's why I made up my mind to act as much as possible.

In my case, I wanted to focus on crafts, so I gave up sports, which I used to love, completely. Besides, Kanazawa has a lot of places where you can enjoy the changing seasons—gathering wild vegetables or swimming in the sea from spring to summer, skiing in the winter. But I resisted those temptations and put my studying at my teacher's workshop first.

That said, if you run at full speed from the very beginning, you'll just get exhausted and drop out, so pacing yourself is extremely important."

Nakagawa faces his interests with remarkable discipline, taking on challenges with incredible focus. Quitting even his hobbies seems to show how determined he is. To carve out time and balance time at the test site and for crafts sounds as if he was actually sprinting the whole way.

"On days when there were social gatherings, I made them my rare days off. I'd end up drinking, so I couldn't get much work done after coming home. I once even pulled an all-nighter right before, then another all-nighter playing mahjong, and that was rough."

As Nakagawa tells it, even amid a tough daily routine, he found small joys—like connecting with friends or picking up curry bread from his favorite bakery on the way to work—making his lengthy apprenticeship more bearable.

(In part 3, we’ll share the episode of how Nakagawa established his own style while learning under Professor Takahashi.)

#Artisan#Living National Treasure#Ishikawa#Traditional crafts#Kaga Zogan#history#Japanese culture#technique
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