長谷川永さんに心からの感謝を。
Uki ishiに使用した本小松石の加工を受け持ってくれた
長谷川石材店の長谷川 永さん。
彼は2025年、年明けすぐにこの世を去った。
眠ったまま息を引きとった。
その日に打ち合わせをする予定だった。
永さんは非常にアグレッシブで人情溢れる人間だ。
妥協を許さない彼の姿勢には常に刺激を受けていた。
一緒に石を取りに行き、一緒に加工して、一緒に搬入して
一緒の敷地内に住んで、風呂場から猫と一緒に長谷川さんの作業姿を覗いたり。
とにかく楽しい思い出しかない。
彼のお陰で処女作Uki ishiが生まれ、
第二形態のUki ishiが生まれた。
永さんのような正確で精密な加工技術はどこを探してもない。
この先別案件でUki ishiの数脚分の加工もお願いしていた、そんな矢先の出来事。
何故、良い人間ばかり早死にするのだろうか…
雑誌「FINEART & VISUAL ART MAY (Vol 3195)」と
「FINEART & VISUAL ART JUNE (Vol 3250)」にUki ishiが掲載されたとき
自宅に飾っているまだ組み上がる前のUki ishi 1の記念撮影の写真に向かって、
真っ先に永さんにご報告をした。
雑誌は奥さんにお渡しした。
その際にこう言ってくれた、
今後僕が活躍し有名になることが今は楽しみと。
力が漲るのを感じた。
初めて長谷川さんご夫婦に会った時、
こんな僕のような人間でも優しく向かい入れてくれた
あの時のご夫婦の笑顔は今でも忘れられない。
夢にまで出てくるぐらいだ。
長谷川家万歳。
この家族に出会え共に工場で過ごした時間は忘れない。
今後も作品がまた一つできる度に工場に訪れてご報告していきたいと思う。
永さんとの思い出の工場で奥さんがパシャリ。
うん、横に笑顔な永さんがいてくれてるのを感じる。
めちゃくちゃ感じる。
永さんありがとう。
これからも宜しくお願いします。
With all my heart, thank you, Yutaka Hasegawa.
Yutaka Hasegawa of Hasegawa Stone Shop was the one
who handled the processing of the Honkomatsu stone used for Uki ishi.
He passed away at the very beginning of 2025. He quietly passed away in his sleep.
We were supposed to meet for a discussion that very day.
Yutaka was an incredibly passionate, energetic, and warm-hearted person.
His uncompromising approach to his craft constantly inspired and challenged me.
We went together to collect the stone, processed it together, and delivered it together.
We even lived on the same property, and I would sometimes peek into the workshop
from the bath with his cat beside me and laugh.
There are simply too many wonderful memories to count.
Because of Yutaka, my first work, Uki ishi, was born.
And because of him, the second form of Uki ishi was born as well.
His precise and meticulous stoneworking skills are unlike anything I have ever encountered elsewhere.
I had even planned to ask him to process several more pieces of Uki ishi for another project in the future.
It was just as I was looking forward to working with him again that this happened.
Why is it that the good ones always seem to leave us too soon…?
When Uki ishi was featured in the magazines
“FINEART & VISUAL ART MAY (Vol. 3195)”and
“FINEART & VISUAL ART JUNE (Vol. 3250),”
I stood in front of a photograph I keep at home—a commemorative photograph of Uki ishi 1,
before it had even been assembled—and Yutaka was the very first person I told.
I gave the magazines to his wife.
She said something that has stayed with me ever since:
that now, she looks forward to seeing me become successful and known for my work.
I could feel a renewed strength rising inside me.
When I first met Yutaka and his wife,
they welcomed someone like me with such warmth and kindness.
I will never forget the smiles on their faces that day.
They remain so vivid that they even appear in my dreams.
Long live the Hasegawa family.
I will never forget having met this family, or the time
I spent with them at their workshop.
From now on, whenever I complete another work,
I want to visit the workshop and tell them about it.
His wife took this photo of me at the workshop where
I shared so many memories with Yutaka.
And yes—I can feel him there beside me, smiling.
I can feel it so strongly.
Thank you, Yutaka.
Please continue to watch over me,
and I look forward to working with you again in spirit.
