About 20km from the town of Okoppe, Tetsuya Kurosawa's home and workshop is located at the far end of the Asahi district (formerly Otappe district). Mr. Kurosawa makes a "carving" = wood carving work here with the motif of wild birds and fish. On the side of the house, the Otappe River slowly flows through the forest from Mt.

 

 

Linden in the Otappe Forest, which continues to renew naturally

 

The Kurosawa family settled here from Toyama three generations ago. The first generation got a job in logging and afforestation. A variety of conifers and hardwoods live in the Otappe Forest. The predecessors and predecessors also engaged in agriculture, beef cattle livestock farming, and yamame trout farming. After graduating from high school, Mr. Kurosawa also took over the family business after two years of livestock training in Tokachi. However, at the age of 22, he encountered a traffic accident that caused him to become paralyzed in the lower half of his body, and took this opportunity to start "carving" to face trees.

 

Mr. Kurosawa I like fishing and was fascinated by the wood carving of fishing magazines. At first, I found a good one in the firewood and scraped it, but now I use linden. Linden is sticky and hard to break. The fins of fish and the tail feathers of birds are made quite thin, but China responds to fine shaving and processing. Great for my carving.

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Lindens are resistant to the cold and shade, and in the summer they bloom to the fullest of trees to welcome bees and insects. A large broad-leaved tree that represents a deep Otappe forest. All the wood that Mr. Kurosawa uses for carving is cut out from his own mountain.

 

 

 

Beautiful time and space shown by the water surface, yamame trout and kingfisher

 

Mr. Kurosawa So far, about 20 kinds of birds have been made by carving. All of them are birds that come around this Otappe Forest, Lake Komuke (* 1), and Omusaro Wetland (* 2), and there are not so many kinds because they are made by taking pictures by themselves. For fish, yamame trout, rainbow trout, and char. There are many chars in my work, but my favorite fish is yamame trout. I've caught a lot since I was a kid, and it's the fish that's closest to me. A kingfisher comes to eat the yamame trout. It's a moment to catch. Hold the camera and wait for it to jump into the water.

 

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From April to October, kingfishers come to the Otappe River. The surface of the water that reflects the sunlight through the trees and shines smoothly, the yamame trout with pale silver-blue spots, and the kingfisher that looks like a blue jewel. The most beautiful "time and space" that the Otappe River shows to Mr. Kurosawa.

 

 

 

The harshness and bliss of nature in Okhotsk

 

The elementary school that Mr. Kurosawa attended closed after graduation. While in school, there were two students and two teachers. On my way home from school, I walked around the forests and rivers and skied in the winter.

 

Mr. Kurosawa I was absorbed in fishing when I was in junior high school. On Saturdays and Sundays, my friends come to me from a town 20km away and go further 6-7km deep into the river. Iwana can't be caught unless it goes that far. The mountain club, which I entered in high school, was a gathering of fishing enthusiasts.

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When I was a student, I used to ride a bicycle for 8km, and from there I went to school by bus. Fishing became an indispensable part of Mr. Kurosawa's life because of his experience with his fellow students.

 

Mr. Kurosawa I don't leave here because I hate humans. Because I like the nature here. I've never wanted to live in the city, I'm free. Dogs are also free-range, and no matter what you do, you won't get angry. Even water is spring water. This is the norm for me. May and June are the best, and the breeding season is full of birdsong. Amur adonis blooms, and Ezonoryukinka, Ezoengosaku, and Obananoenreisou bloom. Hydrangea serrata is summer, but I like blue flowers.

 

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"Kakeen, Karat, Karat" It is the sound of a stag fighting with the horns recorded by Mr. Kurosawa. The tranquility of the Otappe forest conveys the life of life in nature. Despite the harshness, spiciness and inconvenience of nature in Okhotsk, it is said that "life here is the norm." The "power of the land" called Otappe that makes Mr. Kurosawa's life and life "satisfactory". I felt that I had to go further into that meaning.

 

* 1 Brackish water lake located in the southern part of Monbetsu city * 2 Primitive flower garden located in the northern part of Monbetsu city

 

 

\ The person who wrote this article /

Shinichi Chonan / Born in Kitami City, spent 27 years in Tokyo from university and made a U-turn in 2000. Impressed by the splendor of Okhotsk, he rushed to revitalize the area of ​​Okhotsk. Representative of tomorrow's Okhotsk Kraboratory