Art
By Julia Schmitt Healy
Japanese Woodworking Traditions at Mokuchi
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fter the second furniture designer from Brooklyn recently booked my Airbnb room in order to learn Japanese woodworking techniques, I knew something interesting must be going on at Mokuchi Studio. My guest told me that it’s “a beautiful and soothing space in which to learn the art and philosophy of Japanese woodworking.” A visit was in order. Located in a woodsy section of Port Jervis, NY, Mokuchi Studio is workshop, school, and home to the artist Yann Giguère and his family.
Photos courtesy of Yann Giguère
It was early March as I drove up the winding driveway through the forested land. Tall stacks of natural wood beams dotted a clearing. Near the house I could see that the family garden was already being readied for planting. Bluestone edging defined the sections, and in one, garlic shoots were popping up in abundance. I entered the portico, featuring hewn, rounded posts and designed with several clear panels above that allowed light in. Yann greeted me warmly and explained that he recently built the portico so classes will be able to work outside should weather be a bit inclement. The studio occupies the former living room of the house. The smell of wood competed for my attention as I observed the unusual tools, in-progress projects, shoji screens, stacks of wood, and piles of shavings.
Yann handed me a cup of tea, and we sat down at his cherrywood table. There was so much I wanted to know, but I started out asking him about his background. He told me he was born in a small town in French-speaking Quebec, Canada. He is not of Japanese heritage. After high school, he got a student visa and moved to Fairfield, Iowa, where he attended what is now called Maharishi International University in order to practice transcendental meditation as well as to learn English. While there, he found his way into a woodworking class and, at the same time, found himself. His teacher at the school was Doug Adams. A local woodworker named Duncan MacMaster introduced him to Japanese woodworking methods and tools. Yann stayed for a total of four years, with brief sojourns elsewhere. At a class in Fairfield, Yann met Dale Brotherton, who is well-known in the field of Japanese woodworking. Some years later, Giguère moved to the Seattle area and apprenticed with Brotherton for nine years! “I worked five days a week at minimum wage. It took me that long and was super intense. I learned so much,” he says. “Japanese woodworking is a unique style of woodworking, and it takes time to learn to use the tools and understand Continued on next page
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