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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhile Taiki Tanemura is speaking to me for this interview, a small hand extends into his line of vision. By the window is a tower of round stones that had been washed ashore. The tower collapses, obscuring a big healthy mango tree. \u201cNo, no!\u201d echoes Taiki\u2019s scolding voice, although it sounds more amused than angry. His daughter Tara\u2014named from the wish for a \u201cwhole lot of good\u201d\u2014dashes off toward her mother, Ko Ozaki, who is bubbling with laughter just a few steps outside the studio-house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This small family is full of hope and happiness, like passengers sharing a ride on a tiny boat. The father and mother make a living from artwork combining brass with various items that float ashore, under the name O\u2019Tru no Trus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The relationship between Taiki and driftage goes back for over a decade. After graduating from university in Okinawa, he hopped into his sea kayak and embarked on a solo voyage. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like sea kayaking,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s elating!\u201d Having literally become a drifter out at sea, he headed for his home city of Kobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, he aimed for Okinawa Main Island. Then, he kept on paddling to the next island visible over the horizon, and the next and the next, until finally, he made his way past some 20 islands and across some 1,500 kilometers of sea to Kobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEach beach along the way was my bedroom, my kitchen, my playground. If the sea was rough, then I couldn\u2019t get back on my way, so I killed the time by arranging and stacking items that I found lying around. I was free to do whatever, since these were deserted islands, and no one else was there. If I really liked an item, I loaded it on my kayak and took it with me. So you see, this is why I have such an affinity for driftage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was on this journey that Taiki met Ko. He originally comes from Kobe, and she from Tokyo. Together, they settled on Awajishima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea strange to them both. The move was easy and spontaneous, as if they were being carried by an invisible current. They figured things would work out. This was on the second date after they met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTaiki had only the sandals on his feet. All he owned apart from that was his trove of treasures,\u201d Ko says with a cheerful laugh. The treasures in question, of course, consisted of driftwood, coral, smooth round stones, animal bones, and other items that had floated ashore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young couple set up a life together with only 60,000 yen in their pockets combined. Then, as luck would have it, they both lost their jobs. A friend who learned about their misfortune, however, gave them a helpful hint in a new direction: Why don\u2019t they make some kind of art and put their work on display?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! We\u2019ll need to start from scratch, but we\u2019ll do it!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The couple jumped at the offer. Looking back, suddenly finding themselves out of work presented a great opportunity. Taiki and Ko relish the memory now. We even made a toast!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiki had always wanted to put to good use the treasures he had collected over the years. Ko had been sure they could accomplish something wonderful together. And so they began their creative endeavor as the duo O\u2019Tru no Trus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The process of creation kicks off with Ko\u2019s rough sketches. She says this involves taking visual inventory of the items lining the studio shelves, and putting down on paper every idea that comes to mind. Because the sketches aren\u2019t intended to be perfect blueprints, usually she completes them in one go. Any scribblings by Master Tara are left as is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there on, the ball is in Taiki\u2019s court. He does the brazing and brass molding, and gives tangible shape to the lines on paper. But again, the lines don\u2019t need to be exact. If a different set of lines emerge at this stage, that\u2019s okay, because those lines are beautiful too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf a wave of inspiration comes, then we\u2019ll ride on it,\u201d says Ko. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any hard and fast rules. We\u2019re fluid and flexible, because after all, we\u2019re drifting too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neither is Ko overeager about their finished work, which is described variously as pieces and objects of art. \u201cI don\u2019t mind how others see our work or what they say about it,\u201d she says matter-of-factly. Talk about brave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiki adds, \u201cBecause we share the work of creation, the finished piece is never all mine or all Ko\u2019s. Besides, we don\u2019t force ourselves to come up with ideas. Just as Ko said, if a wave of inspiration comes, we\u2019ll ride on it. If the finished piece makes someone happy, then that makes us happy too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What they say, the words they choose, and even their outlook on life\u2014everything about Taiki and Ko is unbelievably effortless. It isn\u2019t that they don\u2019t care. Evidently, they\u2019ve reach a state of enlightenment that all things are meant to drift. Nothing has happened because of a decision on our part, right?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smiling, Ko says they feel good about their current lifestyle, including that they\u2019re under no obligation to continue as O\u2019Tru no Trus. That said, Taiki adds, they\u2019re likely to keep at it for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The closer I look behind the scenes of O\u2019Tru no Trus, the more I\u2019m convinced that Taiki and Ko were meant to undertake this creative journey together. The journey is so full of miraculous, mythical stories too. The name O\u2019Tru no Trus came to Taiki in a dream, for instance. The couple decided to live together after meeting only twice. When they collect an item at the beach, they chant \u201cDanju kariyushi, haccho-yoi!<\/em>\u201c (What an auspicious day. Thank you!) while clapping their hands in prayer toward the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20230331-DSC08203-1024x683.jpg\")
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