Just an Ordinary Student: Hashimoto Kojiro’s The Forest of Wool and Steel
by Vanessa Yip Yee Sing
In Hashimoto Kojiro’s The Forest of Wool and Steel (2018) we are introduced to the perspective of a career that at first glance appears ordinary and obscure. We are made to experience the world of piano tuners, a world not particularly popular and eye-catching. However, through that, the film manages to teach us a myriad of lessons about growing up and finding and bettering ourselves.
The film begins with the main character Tomura sitting alone in a dark classroom, and through his demeanor we make assumptions. Someone who is quiet, never forceful, and almost always agreeable. Just an ordinary student. Someone who has no idea what he wants to achieve in his life. Being unsure of the future is what so many of us face. That uncertainty hits you right away. He eventually is asked to guide a piano tuner to the school hall which houses a grand piano. Tomura is shown in a dark environment and he is always enclosed in his surroundings. It is only when Itadori presses the piano key to tune it that we finally see Tomura in a vast outdoor environment of his imagination. That moment is symbolic of Tomura’s first step forward to begin a practice that eventually blooms into his passion. It’s an intimate and inspiring moment, especially because it is something I am searching for as well.
As Tomura chases his dream to be a piano tuner, we see his growth. It begins with his endless enthusiasm and the little notetaking habits he has as he starts learning the ropes. As he follows his mentor Yanagi to different customers, we see a wealth of different personalities of pianists and are brought on a journey as they do their best to achieve the specific sounds their clients request. Tomura makes mistakes, yes, but under the tutelage of his mentors he is able to learn, becoming more sensitive to the subtle differences between the sounds. Eventually, as we learn more about piano tuning, what we feel mirrors Tomura’s improvement. The amount of delicacy and attention to detail in their job could be attributed to the Japanese spirit of shokunin (職人)—dedication to one’s craft.
Tomura grows as a person as well. In the middle of the film, we see a memory of Tomura’s heartfelt declaration that he is going to be a piano tuner. He finds the courage to announce the news to everyone in his family, and the composition of this scene is such that Tomura is in the center while flanked by two family members on his left and right. We see his family members staring at him as he delivers the news and Tomura is the only one facing us. Right after, we see his family’s reaction and this time Tomura’s back is to us while everyone else’s expressions are visible. This visual exchange signifies the inability to connect and for the family to understand his profession. Tomura’s change of attitude from one of indifference to one of drive and passion is rewarding to experience. Hopefully, for those of us who pick up Hashimoto Kojiro’s The Forest of Wool and Steel, Tomura’s journey moves us in ways that inspire us to pursue the practices or hobbies we love and encourages us to remain curious about the many stories that have not yet been told.
Vanessa Yip Yee Sing is currently studying Media Art at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore