An Apprentice Boatbuilder in Japan

AN APPRENTICE BOATBUILDER IN JAPAN

Maine Maritime Museum and the Japan American Society of Maine are proud to jointly present boatbuilder, writer and researcher Douglas Brooks as he shares his experiences as an apprentice boatbuilder in Japan.

When people think about Japan, they usually have in their minds images of manga and anime, busy urban centers and an economy based on innovations in electronics. Most people do not know that there is also a "second Japan" wherein lies a rich history of traditional arts and crafts, many of which are fast disappearing. Douglas Brooks has apprenticed with five different boat builders in Japan since 1996. In this slide talk Douglas will share his experiences with traditional crafts drawn from over a dozen trips to Japan since 1990.

Douglas Brooks specializes in the construction of traditional wooden boats for museums and private clients. He worked in the Small Boat Shop at the National Maritime Museum in San Francisco from 1985-1990 and has since built boats at museums in Japan and across the United States. He teaches classes in boatbuilding and regularly publishes articles on his research.

In addition to building replicas of North American boats, Douglas has been researching traditional Japanese boat building since 1990, focusing on the techniques and design secrets of the craft. These techniques have been passed from master to apprentice with almost no written record. He has studied with five boatbuilders in Japan building six types of traditional boats.His first book The Tub Boats of Sado Island: A Japanese Craftsman's Methods was published in Japan in 2003 and was later honored by the Japanese Ministry of Culture. His second book, on building the sabani of Okinawa, was published in 2011.

This event will be held in the Museum's boatshop.