Leader of the firm-cotton team, responsible for on-floor direction and quality control of firm cotton production. After the firm cotton shift he assists the futon-making processes. He is from the Philippines, and studied mechanical engineering at university.
firm cotton is the spine of the shikibuton
I serve as leader of the firm-cotton team. firm cotton — the firm cotton core inside the shikibuton — is the “spine” of the whole futon. The support below, the elasticity above, the resilience in between — all depend on how steadily this layer is made. If the firm cotton is poor, no fabric or sewing, however fine, can save it.
A dialog with weather and material
Making firm cotton is a daily dialog with the weather, humidity and raw material — “temperature and humidity change with the weather.” I adjust the blend ratio of materials and the dryer temperature to each day’s conditions, and watch for static buildup. The cleaning and upkeep of core parts on the machine — the cylinder, the doffer — must be done thoroughly every day.
Quality without wobble
My standard for myself is that, whatever the weather, whatever the batch, the firm cotton I make must be consistent. “Under any condition, I want to make a good product whose quality does not waver.” That “constancy” sounds simple, but it needs fine daily adjustment to external change. Only the power of the machine plus human judgement can hold the product steady.
The workshop’s unity
What keeps me here is the unity of this place — everyone walking toward the same goal, thinking things through together when a hard problem comes. I came from the Philippines and studied mechanical engineering; this workshop took me in and let a person from machinery become a firm cotton artisan. “Always so that the customer is pleased” is the reason we do our work each day.