Artisan: Breathing Life into Wood’s Natural Beauty

In the heart of Kamiwakacho, surrounded by the untamed wilderness of Hokkaido, Noriaki Baba has spent six decades coaxing stories from the wood of his homeland. To call him an artisan is to touch only the surface of his legacy; his hands are instruments of memory, shaping creations that transcend their humble origins. Every carving carries a whisper of the forest, a reminder that even in the obvious, mysteries remain untold.