Interview: Mason becomes binding agent between Japan, UK Part 1

Teruki Kamiya uses his English language skills as a bridge, connecting ishizumi (Japanese stonework) masons and other artisans in his native Japan with the expertise of dry stone walling artisans in the U.K. His passion is to share his love of dry stone walling, which involves constructing walls and other structures without any binding agent, with people in Japan. Kamiya first traveled to England in 2008 after encountering dry stone walling techniques as an ishizumi mason and landscape gardener, becoming the first Asian to study at the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA). After weeks of painstaking effort in the classroom and on sites across the country, he sat and passed the beginner’s qualification. Though all instruction was in English, he embraced the experience. “As the first Asian to go to the U.K. to get a DSWA qualification, I was nervous, but because I could speak English, I got to know the British people right away,” he says. Kamiya attributes his ability to a fondness for speaking English. “I had a native English teacher who taught enjoyable content, not English geared for taking exams,” he says, recalling his positive experiences at an English conversation school during his elementary, junior high and high school years. (Kathryn Wortley) To be continued… This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.