Sakujikata - Plastering - Plasterer Skill -

Sakujikata - Plastering - Plasterer Skill - Mixing Mud with Water

Learn the skill of plastering mud walls from listening, reading and watching by yourself.
Learn skills through the entire life.

Finishing the Kyo-kabe(Kyoto-wall) requires one of the most highest technical skill. One of the most important skills is to create self-adhesive paste by mixing mud with water only.
Mr. Mitsuo Ono, who is a plasterer says,
'When mixing mud with water, molecule of the mud adheres each other by its electric power, therefore,
it lasts longer than mixing adhesive paste.'

However, extreme care must be required in plastering because the final coating is very thin, so it is easy to make uneven mud density. Nobody teaches how to coat plaster directly and there is no plastering lecture in class. days. In the world of plastering craftsmen, workers learn plastering process by watching other seniors or boss since old days. Nature materials are used for mud wall, so it is available anywhere. On the contrary, it is difficult to get homogenous mixture, therefore, the quality of mixing mud depends on each plasterer sensibility. High adhesive mud is easily cracked due to sticking on curling tongs. On the other hand, more fibers for plastering mud is hard to make the surface flat.
'It is said that ''steal it and learn it.'' Nobody told me know-how or any key points.
They said that it was a secret recipe and wouldn't give me easily.'
Especially walls of a tea room are difficult. Usually Kyo-kabe (wall for Kyoto housing) Juraku-mud is plastered for a tea room. It is because its mud wall creates shadows and a feeling of peacefulness which is same as the Way of tea 'Wabi-Sabi.' Iron in a component oxidizes and its surface goes rusty. The wall surface condition will be stable and be better after making a fireplace to put the iron kettle repeatedly.
'Even through the tea room is complete, plastering craftsmen cannot enter the finished tea room which we made.
We are very concerned about the wall which we made and feel like they were our children.'
A mud wall will become better year by year. Training of this field will last forever.

　＜a structure of a window＞
　 Set a template and plaster mud by
　 operating curling tongs without damaging
　 bamboos. Key point is Drying Mud.
　 Once starting mud coating, nobody
　 can stop working until it complete.