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PingMag has an interview with Yoshiharu Shinohara, a Japanese "furin" (glass wind chimes) maker.
Lastly, please tell me what it takes to be a craftsman in this day and age.Lately, parents of young people will come up to me, and say "My child is really quiet and withdrawn, and just likes to stay in the house all the time, so I want him to become a craftsman." But this is what I tell them: "Lady, you've got it all wrong. It's tough to be a craftsman these days. You've got to find your own way to market your product, explain it by yourself, and add value to the product so it will sell for a good price. If you're quiet and withdrawn, you'd better forget about being a craftsman." But you know, if you're good at it, you can use your hands and your mind and make much more money than your average white collar worker. (laughs) If you want to succeed as a craftsman, you've got to be passionate about your work, passionate about your wife, and passionate about your land. Look at my family. We all get along. My son's going to take over the business, and even my granddaughters says they want to make wind chimes. Even though they both went to a good university. (laughs)
