Bringing People In and Inspiring Community Interaction through Sheet Metal
The Possibilities of Sheet Metal Technology for Creative Manufacturing
Uchino Bankin runs Wakuni Shoten. Since it was founded in 1990, the company has used sheet metal technology to process metal, and undertaken construction work on residential roofs and exterior walls, all while keeping itself rooted in the local community. Uchino, who serves as CEO of the company, decided to become a sheet metal worker over 25 years ago, at the age of 18. He says that, though he had no intention of taking over the family business, he was gradually drawn into the world of sheet metal.
"Sheet metal is soft, easy to bend, and easy to cut. I was intrigued by the versatility of a metal like that. I felt like I could utilize the characteristics of metal, as well as sheet metal technology, to make something new and original. The possibilities of it felt akin to art."
And Uchino was right. Some of Uchino Bankin's current projects include products that showcase the company's expert skills—an animal-motif art piece created with a French artist, origami cranes made of copper sheets.
"When I actually tried it with my own hands, I enjoyed the fact that I could use what I knew about sheet metal to make things. And when I delivered the products to customers, there were a lot of times when they would be surprised at what sheet metal could do: 'I didn't know you could do that!' It made me so happy to be able to show people the appeal and technology behind sheet metal."
In recent years, they have also hosted workshops for the sheet metal origami cranes at public institutions like schools in France and the Japanese embassy in Germany—a sign that they have garnered recognition not only in Japan, but overseas as well.
Meeting Kuma Kengo on a Chance Visit
The Aoba shopping street where Wakuni Shoten is located is where Uchino grew up, and it holds a special place in his heart. As the years went by, and the shops on the street shuttered one after the other, and the street saw fewer and fewer visitors, Uchino found himself feeling quite strongly that he wanted to help the community.
"I was watching right up close as the shopping street got more and more desolate. But I felt like the lack of people wasn't because the town had depopulated, but more on the social side of things—the shuttering of these shops where people used to interact with one another. I felt that if there were a new place that people even outside of the city would want to visit, it would transform the city. I was hoping that one day I could be a part of that."
"I'm going to do something interesting, even if it takes me a few years to get there." That was the promise Uchino kept in his heart, as he purchased a 52-year-old property on the corner of the shopping street, without a clear idea as to what he would do next. In fact, it was visiting the design office of Kuma Kengo, at the invitation of an acquaintance, that led to the idea for Wakuni Shoten.
"We had just five minutes of time with Kuma, but when I talked about wanting to be of help in vitalizing the community, he immediately said, 'Let's do it together.' After a lot of discussions with Kuma and his people, we decided to create a place that would make our sheet metal technologies more widely known."
Bringing in People Will Vitalize the City
Wakuni Shoten was born of a combination of Uchino Bankin's sheet metal technology and Kuma's design. The most eye-catching feature of the building is the exterior wall, which is made of approximately 700 verdigris copper plates (copper plates with turquoise patina). These were made by reprocessing the green-blue copper plates that had been used on the roof of Hayatani Shrine in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, for 60 to 100 years, and reworking them into pentagonal shapes using sheet metal technology. The work, which required a significant use of technology and the spirit of the company's craftspeople, took six months to complete.
"The idea for the exterior wall came from the copper plate signboards that were popular in the Showa era (1926-1989). But there were almost no examples of copper plates that were three-dimensional in any way, and it would just technically be very difficult. At the same time, though, there was something about that that excited me. I would be trying something that no one else had done before, and I felt like it was a great opportunity to show off our skills as sheet metal craftspeople."
The resulting space now attracts local customers, of course, but also those from central Tokyo, rural areas, and even overseas. Uchino, who has brought a flow of people back into the once-quiet shopping street, says, "Put ideas and technologies into old things, and you can create a space with new value."
"I think combining something that has always been around with something new can really attract people. We still have a long way to go and a lot of challenges that have to be addressed, but I feel that if Wakuni Shoten could be a sort of change instigator for more people trying new things on this shopping street, we could create an even greater flow of people, and restore the vitality of the area. I hope we can continue to create such a cycle."
Uchino Tomokazu
