Memories of Smoke and Lead: Hokusei Pencils and Sawdust, 2002, Tokyo area

Memories of Smoke and Lead: Hokusei Pencils and Sawdust, 2002, Tokyo area

2002, Tokyo suburbs. Mr. Sugitani, president of Hokusei Pencil Co. His words are filled with the scent of the Showa Era (1926-1989) and the environmental regulations of the Heisei Era (1926-1989).

Sawdust used to be a much sought-after fuel for public bathhouses, but the decline of the bathhouse industry has closed the door to its reuse. In addition, the dioxin epidemic and other problems have made it difficult for people to burn sawdust in their own homes, as residents in the area have increasingly asked that the smoke not be emitted."

These words illustrate how closely local life and industry used to be intertwined. But times have changed. With the spread of city gas and strict environmental considerations required under the legal system, the "by-products" of small pencil factories are no longer even allowed to be burned.

However, President Sugitani did not give up. If we can't burn it, we will find a way to make use of it. This attitude is an expression of his will to transform waste into resources, and at the same time, it is a symbolic attempt to show the budding of a recycling-oriented society. Sawdust, born from the tip of a pencil lead, has begun to find its role once again at the turning point of the times.