Born in Tokyo, Made in Florence

A look into "Intarsiatore" with Takafumi Mochizuki

It’s a normal Thursday morning at 7:55 am and I just finished downing my espresso at home. Time to head to class across the city. A silly game I play is to see whether I can walk out the front door perfectly in time to see the tram arriving at the station. Sometimes listening to the right music or podcast will give me just a little bit more of a pep in my step to get me to class on time. If I catch myself running a few minutes before, I will take one of the thousand rentable e-bikes left around the city. For only €1.20, you can have a lot of zooming fun. Personally, it also brings me a little extra joy to be back on two wheels.

Class just got out and after learning about how strange and complex the Italian language is — thanks Dante Alighieri — it was time to use my new vocabulary in the real world. For me, I study best on the streets by speaking with locals.

After class, I usually go to one of my favorite coffee shops to do some writing, studying, or reading. Thanks to my friend Henry, I now have a new friend named Davide who owns Todo Modo; a vibrant bookstore, wine bar, and coffee shop all in one. Exceeding my expectations, I received a tasting of all 3 reds and 3 whites that they have on rotation every week. If you’re ever in Florence, I highly recommend speaking with Davide at Todo Modo and having an extra smile.

Feeling the energy and excitement flow through my body, I put the books down and decided to go for a wander. With both my school and usual hangout spots being on the Oltrarno (a neighborhood that translates to “Across the Arno River”), I noticed that I take the same route every day and never explore the side streets which usually have some hidden gems. A hidden gem is exactly what I found. Meet Takafumi Mochizuki.

Originally from Tokyo, Takafumi moved to Florence to fine-tune his wood marquetry and restoration skills under his master Renato Olivastri. Eventually, he opened up his own studio in 2014 called Zouganista. Both meaning “inlayer” in English, “Zouganista” in Japanese, and “Intrarsiatore” in Italian are two words that represent Takafumi’s craftsmanship. This ancient and traditional art form is the epitome of detail, patience, and mastery. After an hour of me picking his brain about the process, history, and individuality behind his work, he opened up and showed me a piece of art he said he rarely brings out.

Collaborating with a close friend, he crafted a knife using several types of wood from all over the world. Blending Mt. Fuji and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (aka the Duomo) together with the use of olive and ebony, he draws a story of his two lives in Japan and Italy. The handle is made out of ebony, horns of a water buffalo, and held together with a special glue extracted from animal bone marrow. Between the unfathomable level of mastery, taking a glimpse into his two worlds, and the surprising sharpness of a wooden knife piece, Takafumi brought me to chills with his art and spoke to me on a deeper level.

I left his atelier feeling inspired, humbled, and even more curious about all the other worlds of art and expression there are in this world. I also left with a level of respect for artists out there in this world and how much goes into every detail, most of which is usually looked past. It made me excited for what is to come in my creative life and for me to discover my own craft that I will hopefully master one day. Although I think of my cooking as an art form, this inspired me to find something more tangible and not digestible that I can hold on to forever and give to my family one day.

I hope you guys enjoyed the first read of My Weekly Wonder, and I look forward to seeing you next week :)

Ciao!

-Matthew