Sharing of sensations
When I teach sculpture to students, I am faced with the difficulty of sharing sensations.
When I explain in words while showing the carving process, the students sometimes freeze up.
Looking back, I was like that too. When I first received guidance from my master, I could only vaguely understand what he was saying, and as I saw, I tried to carve the same way as the master, but I couldn't. The same thing happened when sharpening knives. Even if you imitate the master's method, you will not be able to sharpen it to the same degree.
But now, when I talk about technical matters with my master, it's rare that I don't understand something like I used to.
When I think about what has changed between then and now, one thing comes to mind.
It's a "sensory difference".
Since we are all different people, there are naturally differences in our five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Therefore, even if the carving is explained in words about how it feels and how it looks, due to the ``difference in sense'', it is not possible to superimpose one's own senses on the master's senses and understand them.
Bridging this gap is difficult.
It's like coming to a foreign country where you don't understand anything. Since this is a foreign country, please don't worry if you don't understand it right away. I think the important thing is to remember what kind of explanation was given in what situation. The only thing left to do is "patience" as I continue carving and imagining the sensation that the explanation means. As I continue to carve, there comes a time when I suddenly understand the meaning of the words.
When I teach students, I always look forward to that moment.
Of course, I sometimes get new sensations from my students. Whenever I can see that a student carves with a different sensibility than I do, I get excited and think, ``I see, there are other ways to do it.''
The word "information sharing" is often used in society, but this is a higher level of communication called "sensory sharing." It's not easy, but I want to cherish this communication.