In November 2021, a new brand will be born from SIRI SIRI. "SIRI SIRI famille". As the French word for "family" indicates, this is a series where you can enjoy SIRI SIRI products with your family.

The first to be announced is a baby toy. Standard baby items such as rattles and toothpaste are designed with SIRI SIRI jewelry motifs. The people who cooperated were the skilled Japanese woodworkers. Only the actual SIRI SIRI jewelry was given to the craftsman. There are no detailed drawings or models. Based on the rich experience they have cultivated so far, they carefully finished each one while doing trial and error how they could realize a baby toy designed by SIRI SIRI. In commemoration of the release, we interviewed the two woodworkers who worked on this baby toy.

Mr. Naoki Kinoshita from Woodtori House

SIRI SIRI's best-selling < WOOD collection > made of wood. <APPLE> is a popular item in this collection that has continued since 2009. The cute little apples that sway around your ears are the result of the delicate techniques of millimetres. This <APPLE> became a baby rattle this time. The smooth wooden texture makes it easy for small hands to grasp and makes a gentle rattling sound when shaken. Mr. Naoki Kinoshita, a woodworking craftsman, worked on it. In Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, he and his wife run a studio called "Kitorisha", where they create toys, wooden miscellaneous goods, wall clocks, and other works with a gentle atmosphere.

The workshop is located in the green mountains of Sagamihara City, and chestnuts were abundant in the orchard next door. The workshop is lined with turning machines, and small wooden items that Mr. Kinoshita "made in his spare time" are placed here and there. A stand for a single pencil, or a prototype of a nameplate in the shape of an animal. All of them have expressions like little fairies, gently wrapping the entire atelier.

Some veteran craftsmen have a principle of not making anything that deviates from the production line they are usually good at. However, Mr. Kinoshita immediately finished the prototype with SIRI SIRI jewelry as a hint. How did you initially feel about the request for SIRI SIRI's <APPLE> to be Rattle?

"It's a new job, and it's a rare project, but I managed to do it. The design is already complete, so the rest is a show of fine tuning technology. A maple tree is hollowed out and made to the size that a baby can hold." It's weighted so that when you shake it, the pieces of wood inside make a pleasant rattling sound.When I tried it, to be honest, it was quite difficult.It was a challenge.However, I started woodworking at the age of 26, Even though people around me told me that it was impossible for me to make a living on my own, I managed to come to the workshop. In that sense, we have accumulated a lot of experience, so fortunately we were able to meet their requests.

 

A long time ago, there was a big trade fair for machine tools in Tokyo, and the community of woodworking craftsmen was thriving. Woodworking machine manufacturers are also discontinuing production one after another, and used machines are steadily flowing to Asia. “There are so many cheap plastic toys in Japan that many craftsmen have stopped making wooden toys because it is inefficient.”

Still keep making. What kind of wishes does Mr. Kinoshita put into his wooden toys?

“Children react very obediently to things like how it feels when they touch it, how easy it is to grip, and so on. I have been playing with blocks made from pieces of wood for many years.I would like to think that someday I will be able to resonate with my heart with things that are invisible to the naked eye.In the age of digitalization, making toys through modeling is just another way of thinking. As a lecturer, I learned that there are young students who can easily create products without knowing the basics of tools. I believe that the things I create have something that cannot be created instantly.”

In Japan, if you go to a mass retailer, you will see toys that are mass-produced with cheap materials. However, if the toy is made carefully and properly, you can touch the feelings that the craftsman put into it, and even if the baby grows up, it will be cute just by placing it, and it will be a precious memory filled with memories that small hands have touched. becomes an object.

Exhibitions across the country have been canceled due to the corona crisis, and direct communication with customers has decreased. However, through sales sites and SNS, it is said that communication with fans has increased in different ways, such as connecting with fans online and receiving orders. “I used to run a shop in Kichijoji, so I think Instagram and handmade sites are a different type of shop. I hope you can feel relieved by this."

Nonetheless, at the workshops held at various events around Japan, it was an irreplaceable opportunity to see the sparkling eyes of the children who kept their eyes on the demonstration woodworking machines. He also said that he hopes that the opportunity to interact will return as soon as possible. In addition to orders, Mr. Kinoshita has been releasing his own works full of humor and kindness one after another. "There are still many things I want to make, and I'm thinking of doing them in order," he said.

Naoki Kinoshita's website
SIRI SIRI famille Rattle APPLE

Mr. Tsuyoshi Miyazaki, atelier-fu

Tsuyoshi Miyazaki of atelier-fu is the one who worked on this baby toy. Based in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, he makes wooden toys. The building blocks, rattles, rattles, and baby toys with the motif of "a figure and feeling that makes you smile" all have cute smiles. The feeling that I want you to smile, and the thought that there are various emotions other than just a smile. The idea is that children will develop various emotional folds from their fingertips and eyes.

Nihonbashi is an area full of humanity, with many craftsmen's workshops that have been around since ancient times. The atelier where the residence and workshop are integrated in one corner has a small and stoic impression. This is where the 3 types of teeth solidification ＜COMPOSITION＞ were born.

SIRI SIRI's < COMPOSITION Collection > is characterized by geometric shapes. Ear cuffs inspired by animal bones are one of the most popular items in the collection that has continued since 2014. This time, three types of wooden toys, < MOC MOC >, <DROP> , and <Phantom> , are made from high-quality domestically produced acrylic. It needs to be of an appropriate size and smooth to the touch, with no corners, so that it is safe for babies to hold and put in their mouths. I handed over the actual jewelry, and Mr. Miyazaki finished it in a beautiful shape based on his experience.

“After cutting out the board with a scroll saw, the polishing process takes the most time. It is not a simple ring, but rather a curved line, so to accurately express that and make it smooth, it is very difficult. I look at it while polishing it, touch it, and finish it while sharpening my senses.”

The work of polishing carefully for hours while standing. The gentle roundness of the smooth curve that is born in this way is smooth and pleasant to the touch even for adults.

Mr. Miyazaki, who usually makes his own works and orders. “At first, I set up a woodworking workshop to make my own art works, and started making toys as a form of art. I think I want to do only art, but now I have a lot of toys.I like wooden toys, and I'm confident that I'm making good things that are safe in terms of function and shape.Sold at exhibitions and wholesale. However, most people buy it as a gift for their friends and grandchildren.Safety is important for children's toys.Assuming that they will be played with licking and chewing, there is no risk of injury. I'm very careful not to." Consideration and passion to put the user first. A toy small enough to fit in a baby's hand, but with as much love as furniture and jewelry.

Halfway through the project, I discovered that I was actually acquainted with SIRI SIRI designer Okamoto by chance. “This is the first time I have received a request from a jewelry brand in a different industry, and if it had not been for SIRI SIRI, I would have declined the order. I honestly thought that I was happy to be able to work on toy making with a brand that released jewelry like this.Craftsmanship is rarely talked about, but I want to convey it properly. Then I realized that it was Mr. Okamoto's brand, with whom I had a good relationship about 10 years ago.

Mr. Miyazaki, who is relatively young, still feels that the number of woodworkers is decreasing. “Even if there are people who mainly make furniture and use scrap wood to make toys, there are really very few craftsmen who mainly work on wooden toys. However, being a craftsman is a tough world.But I want to continue.I hope that being able to work with SIRI SIRI this time will be an opportunity to spread the goodness of wooden toys. .”

We deliver products carefully finished by craftsmen living in Japan, the land of crafts. SIRI SIRI is the important starting point of our philosophy. SIRI SIRI's universal design meets craftsmanship, and we want people of all ages to enjoy these items. Such a wish led to the development of this baby toy. From the two groups of craftsmen who cooperated with us this time, we were able to receive the tender affection of two people who know the rigor of craftsmanship and commitment to products, and the smiles of children who pick up toys. rice field.

Wooden toys and Japanese craftsmanship that supports them. We hope that "SIRI SIRI famille" baby toys not only make babies smile, but also become items that convey the culture we want to protect.

atelier-fu Tsuyoshi Miyazaki's website
SIRI SIRI famille Teether MOC MOC
SIRI SIRI famille Teether DROP
SIRI SIRI famille Teether PHANTOM

Written by Sawako Fukai Photographed by Nanako Ono