IWANUKI ASSOCIATION
This is the first time showin' yer face at the Carpentry Association, right, Hakumei?
Yeah. Sure is huge.
Brace yerself. It's confusin'.
I-I'll be okay.
IWANUKI ASSOCIATION
So many huge things...
Ain't it?
Chairman, Vice Chairman, good mornin'.
Oh, Iwashi. As small as always, huh?
Cuz yer very big, sir.
So huge!
Oh? You must be...
Hakumei, huh?
He knows cuz he's the chairman.
He knows at least names o' people doin' the same work.
I-I see...
Hello.
I'm Narai. Is there something you need, Hakumei?
Let's go on a trip to chance upon a sunset
The wings will always watch over us
Are we so alike somewhere
that we're drawn to one another?
Look, while we're in the world where the sky has drawn near
IWANUKI ASSOCIATION
Please let me help with repairing the stone wall!
No.
Why not?!
Calm down!
Beg yer pardon for the lack o' manners, Sir...
I can do anything you say!
Like surveying, drafting, backfilling, selecting the stones...
All of that is done sufficiently by me.
Go home.
Then I can do the meals.
Everyone brings their lunch.
Then if you need scaffolding...
Don't need that.
Managing the materials?
That's everyone's job.
I always went down the center street, and I loved that nice stone wall.
Sorry...
Well, we'll head on home soon.
Yeah.
C'mon, Hakumei...
Episode 10
The Association's Work Site
I was just in the way...
Don't be so discouraged.
I'm not discouraged. Are you going to the stone wall now?
Yeah.
Master!
Huh?!
Tools are the life of a carpenter. I know what I'm asking is reckless, but...
Even if it's just washing the dirt off of them, will you please let me help you?
Wash the dirt off...?
My tools are many times larger than yers.
I know that.
They're about yer height.
That's fine.
The blades, too.
I can handle it!
I'm leavin' the repair and the sharpenin' to you.
Thank you, Iwashi!
CLING
Q-quit it with the tail!
And ya went back to callin' me "Iwashi"...
Right now we're mendin' this stone wall that collapsed in a landslide.
When this is done, the big stones'll go back to how they were.
That's awful.
This'll fix it pretty well, though.
Hakumei.
You showed up after all.
I won't get involved with any construction. I promise.
Katen, lift me up to the far right.
Okay.
Alright! We're gonna get it done again today!
IWANUKI ASSOCIATION STANDS FOR...
SAFETY!
PROMPTNESS!
THOROUGHNESS!
CAMARADERIE!
Okay. Well, be back in a little bit.
Watch the chairman work and study 'im.
Guess there was no need to say that.
The roots are hangin' on tight...
Here, wash 'n sharpen this for me.
Right.
Stare
Sorry, this sickle, too.
Okay. Don't worry about it.
Don't cut your hands or anything.
Just leave it to me.
Hey, Katen, get the twine for me.
Okay.
Chairman, Vice Chairman, I'm leaving for the day.
Thanks for your hard work.
See you again tomorrow.
Hey, we're leaving, Hakumei.
Okay. Just one more left.
Sir.
You are skilled,
but you should change the way you hold the whetstone.
For a sickle, it's like this. Put out your finger.
Your hands are so big I don't get it...
Like this?
No, that's wrong.
Like this?
Yeah, still a bit wrong.
Not goin' home? Like this?
Yeah, that's right.
The leader always leaves last.
Moreover, going home by yourself is lonely, right?
Yeah...
Ah, welcome home.
I'm baaack...
You're drooling.
So, how was the worksite?
Honestly, there was no room for me to even go in.
Well, you can only do what you can, right?
That's right.
Hey, yer lookin' kinda sleepy. You alright?
I'm fine, I'm fine. Where's the chairman?
He's already here.
Sir.
What is it, Hakumei?
Um, here.
I made it yesterday...
I charted all the sizes and the cuts of the rocks that correspond with the ones in the construction-
Hey.
When'd you make this?
Uh, l-last night...
Don't come to the worksite sleep-deprived.
Go home and sleep.
I'm going to go draw some water. Want to go together?
No, I can't.
You and the chairman are the pillars of this worksite, right?
Please don't worry about me and do your job.
Okay, understood.
Thanks.
And on that note, excuse me, Iwashi. I'll do double the sharpening tomorrow.
Right. See ya tomorrow, then.
She's an interesting one, huh?
Yes, quite.
I'm home...
Huh? Hakumei? Are you home already?
SNORE
And she's sleeping...
All the knives are sharpened.
THE IWANUKI ASSOCIATION STANDS FOR...
SAFETY! PROMPTNESS! THOROUGHNESS!
CAMARADERIE!
Ya got quicker at sharpenin' the blades, eh?
I had to with huge blades like these!
Right now, the kitchen knives' blades are about as thin as paper.
That's amazin'...
Hakumei.
Chairman...
I've got a favor to ask of you.
This is my chisel. Can you sharpen it for me?
Huh?
No, uh, I don't think I can do such a thing...
Why not?
You said so yourself, right? "I can do anything."
Or is there something else?
Is it because it's my chisel?
S-sorry. I can't.
Why?
Iwashi believed in me and he entrusted me with his carpenter life,
so I put all I've got into sharpening them.
But yours is impossible. It's still scary.
You two are good friends, huh?
Huh?
Come here in work clothes starting tomorrow.
Th-then that means I can join in, right?
Yeah.
Did you hear that, Iwashi?
Yeah, that's great. But careful not to slack off, now.
Yahoo!
I told you to quit it with the tail! Leggo!
You're a kind one, Narai. I told you to quit it with the tail! Leggo!
It's just that I can't rely on someone who fears nothing.
Lemme go!
It's just that I can't rely on someone who fears nothing. I said quit! QUIT IT!
That's right, Hakumei.
Have a formal coat made as well.
You have a wife too, don't you? "Mikochi," was it?
Er...
I'm a woman, you know.
Sorry.
Heave ho!
Just a bit more! Go!
Heave ho!
How is it, Hakumei?
Almost there!
You're... doing repairs, right?
Mikochi-san?
Coming!
Episode 11 Large Stones and Joint Stones
Sorry for making you help me with the food, Mikochi-san.
Oh, no.
Well, it's because my husband is that type of person.
If he did everything, all of them would get tired of him. Iwashi! You're not putting your back into it!
If he did everything, all of them would get tired of him.
So I have to at least secure the food.
I see.
Miss Hakuyo.
Let me have a snack or something to eat.
Katen-chan.
You should go before Narai loses his temper.
Fine.
I came to pick up a joint stone.
Okay.
Hey, Hakumei.
Can you put in a joint stone?
It's where you wedge a flat stone under a shaky stone, right?
Whoa.
The quality of the ride is pretty good.
It's going to chime soon.
Hey, over here.
This is the face of the stone wall. It's the largest stone.
There's no replacement available for a stone this size. Anchor it properly.
Iwashi, help her do this!
Right.
It isn't really that difficult of an operation. Don't get too worked up.
I can't believe a chairman is saying not to get too worked up...
He's a bit too tense, eh...
Well, do yer best.
Right.
How is it, Hakumei?
Narrow. I'm driving it in, so push it for me.
Got it.
Hey, vice chairman.
Can you give me another ride?
What happened?
It made a strange sound.
There's no one below, is there?
What's going on?
Iwashi, you get on too! What's going on?
Hurry! Hurry!
Okay...
Oh my word...
So it really had started crumbling.
It's a good place for drainage and it is in direct sunlight.
It may have degraded over time.
Are you hurt?
No, I'm okay.
I overlooked this. I'm sorry.
Oh no, it's okay...
Let's take a small break.
There's still plenty left.
Okay!
I sweated and had something watery, but not enough salt and oil.
Oh, in that case...
Here's some salt-roasted watermelon seeds.
What?
It's high in protein and fats.
Hakuyo-san told me that.
As expected from a carpenter's wife.
What are they doing?
Havin' a starin' contest with the blueprint.
They lost the face of the stone wall.
Maybe they'll suspend our work to dig up more rocks.
There was this huge stone around the passage to the entrance.
Can't we use that?
Oh, that's too big. It's hard and we can't get our chisels in it to begin with.
Okay, I'll give it a shot.
Sir.
What is it, Hakumei?
I have a suggestion.
So basically...
First apply the burn to the right area,
then rapidly cool it with iced water and it'll forcefully make a fracture.
And then, in order for it to not break more than we need it to,
we'll use your chisel to finish splitting it.
What will we do to make it burn for so long?
Crush the watermelon seeds and knead it into pine oil and make it into solid fuel.
I see. That might work.
Right?
Understood.
Gather up all the tools.
Alright, here goes!
Wait, Hakumei.
You take this.
I'm really asking you this time.
Hakumei-san, Hakumei-san.
Oh, it's the chairman's wife.
Thank you. He's actually quite a coward when it comes to things like that.
Huh?
He was seized with fear due to that mistake in the instructions earlier.
Thanks to you, we finally started moving.
Is... that so?
It is!
He's the type that's very fussy about his tools. Good luck!
Thanks!
Pine oil and... crushed watermelon seeds...
Mix them together...
The consistency of the fuel is good.
Now, all we can do is leave the positioning of the burn to the chairman and vice chairman.
It's difficult to position the burn, isn't it?
Yeah, if it's even a little off, the chisel will go in the wrong direction.
That job depends on the experience of the workers.
The inner eye has nothing to do with it.
The chisel.
This is it...
Thanks.
Good job.
I appreciate it.
Alright... One shot.
It split!
So impressive, Sir!
Of course it did.
I'll put this joint stone in when these are stacked up.
Then, it's finished.
Sir!
I can do the joint stone.
But the foot hold is over there.
B-but...
Whoa!
You can do it together, can't you?
Hakuyo...
But it just collapsed a little while ago.
Narai.
Alright?
Help me out, Hakumei.
Okay.
Your wife sure is scary.
Yeah, kind of.
Listen up, Hakumei. You're gonna drive the joint stone in horizontally.
If you drive it in too far, it'll wobble too much.
Understood.
This big rock here... it's collapsed once before.
Katen and I repaired it ourselves.
If such a huge stone like that wobbles, it'll ruin a really nice walkway.
When the big stone settled, more pedestrians came here,
and before we realized it everyone had given the stone a name and started calling it that.
Surprised you earlier, huh?
and before we realized it everyone had given the stone a name and started calling it that.
It looked like the stone was piercing through the gravel around it.
Note: "Iwanuki" can mean something going through a stone
Iwanuki...
Is that the beginning of the Iwanuki Association?
But Katen and Hakuyo here called it by a different name.
Narai Rock... just kidding.
That's a story from long ago. I have to think of a different name...
Narai Rock is still good, isn't it?
I suppose so.
Uh, to celebrate the completion of the stone wall repairs, here's a word from our chairman.
Starting tomorrow there will be traffic, but right now, this is the spot for our drinking party!
Hakumei, do the drill!
Alright!
Everyone, what does the Iwanuki Association stand for?!
Safety, Promptness, Thoroughness, Camaraderie!
Have some more.
Here you go!
When a pleasant wind blows, let's eat a meal outside
The Two Men
In this season with the aroma of the fragrant olive
The two men arrived at the very old Carpenters' Association,
which was only a mere shell of what it once was.
Stars twinkle and shine from an akebia-colored sky
After a slow breath, the banquet commences
The carefree men carried out the same amount of timber as an entire crowd could carry at once. The keen-eyed men showed excellent technique with the weathered tools they had brought along with them.
A fresh smoked cheese quiche
The unresolved items that they had received from the association were put in order by the two in perfect harmony. That sound way of working stirred the souls of a great many workers and apprentices.
And magnolia leaf-wrapped red salmon
Look, the world is pleased, it wants to dance with us
Thus, the Carpenters' Association experienced a revival. ~excerpt from A History of the Makinata
Carpenters' Association
What drinks would go well with such a night?
How about Japanese peppers in a botanical?
It feels as if we can grasp even the moon with these small hands