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For the past five years, Mr. Morishima has been collecting wood carvings of bears, a traditional Hokkaido craft. Among them, he collects mainly those made by an artist named Shigeyuki Shibasaki. There are more than 100 bears in his collection. Mr. Shibasaki used to make realistic wooden bear statues, delicately carved down to the fur, but around the 1960s, he established a rough-hewn, minimalist style like Enku Buddha. His sculptures, which at first glance appear to be nothing more than a block of wood, have been in the limelight in recent years, and their market prices have skyrocketed.

."In a corner of "SALON BONCOURA" are carved wooden bears by Shigeyuki Shibasaki. At first glance, they appear to be mere pieces of wood, but closer inspection reveals that they have a deep and rich expression.

."Wooden carvings of bears by Shibasaki are found throughout SALON BONCOURA. The wood is carved on the face, so you can fully feel the texture of the wood, and the rustic appearance is relaxing just by looking at it.

."The first time I acquired a wooden bear carving made by Mr. Shibasaki was at a flea market in Hokkaido, Japan. I didn't know the artist's name or anything about him, but I bought it because I liked the way it looked, but the market price has gone up year by year, and now it is difficult to find one. The first piece I acquired was made in the year of my birth, so I am particularly attached to it," said Morishima. The artistic style of the bears is distinctly different from the wood carvings you can find in souvenir shops, and each bear has its own unique and lovable appearance. It is easy to understand why people want to collect them.

."The wood carvings are so uneven that they are almost "smooth," but when you hold them, they fit comfortably in your palm, and just touching them gives you a sense of calmness.

Morishima has been collecting the works of two potters, Teiichiro Miyashita and Kenji Funaki, for 10 years. Teiichiro Miyashita was born in Hokkaido, was involved in the folk art movement, and is said to have laid the foundation for Hokkaido's ceramic art. . In addition, his own works by Kenji Funaki, who was born to a ceramicist father from Shimane Prefecture and studied under Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, are also highly acclaimed. Many of Teiichiro Miyashita's works are in the collections of museums in Hokkaido, but Morishima has collected many more.

Teiichiro Miyashita was the only ceramic artist featured in the magazine "JAPAN" published abroad in 1961. Morishima also owns vessels that were featured in that magazine.

Kenji Funaki's works are impressive with their dynamic animal motifs. While incorporating Western touches, he has created a simple Japanese touch.

He first encountered Teiichiro Miyashita's pottery at an antique morning market in Hokkaido. I liked the way it looked and bought it casually, but after researching the artist, I became interested in his work and have been finding and collecting his pieces ever since. I first encountered Kenji Funaki's works at an antique shop in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Whenever I go out of the country on business, I always visit antique markets and antique shops. I find that I often come across some surprisingly good things. The criterion for choosing an item is whether or not it sticks out to me. . I don't think about whether it is famous or not, or whether it has a high reputation among the public or not. I just collect what I like.

."If you continue to collect works by the same artist, you will begin to understand the changes in his/her style. . Then, you can even tell when the work was created. One of the interesting aspects is that I feel as if I am tracing the artist's life in this way.

Mr. Morishima is known as a collector of vintage wear, and in fact, he has a deep knowledge of vintage eyewear as well. In particular, he has a collection of over 1,000 frames made in France! He says that he has good eyesight, so he does not consider the practicality of his collection to be of any importance. He collects mainly frames from the 1930s to the 1960s. The distinctive features of his collection are ultra-thick celluloid frames and "crown panto," a design in which the top of the frame is flat. Although vintage eyewear is now attracting a lot of attention, Mr. Morishima started collecting them more than 10 years ago. At that time, he was able to obtain them in large quantities at a fairly low price.

Here are four frames that I particularly like. All of them were made around the 40's. . The front right is a very thick frame from the long-established French company, " MAX PITTION ". The clear frame in the front left follows the crown panto style seen in old French glasses. The back left frame is made of a deep green material that can only be found in frames from that era. . The back right has a soft hue that I like.

Morishima first encountered vintage eyewear while traveling in Europe. , "I was going around a flea market when I found a pair of glasses with an unusual shape. I was amused by the unusual designs, such as thick celluloid frames and crown puntu, and bought them even though my eyes were not bad. . Since then, I have been collecting vintage eyewear from England and America, focusing on glasses made in France. The materials and hinges of these frames have a taste that cannot be found in modern eyewear, and that is what makes them so appealing. There are frames that look similar, but I know almost perfectly which brand and which period they are from.

.". I sometimes use them when I need glasses for modeling. Someday I would like to make my own glasses based on the models in my collection."

SEIKO's diver's watches have been widely favored by connoisseurs since 1965, when they were the first domestically produced diver's watches, and they have been repeatedly updated and passed on their DNA to the present day. It is also known as the favorite of many adventurers and explorers, and the second model was even used by Naomi Uemura. Mr. Morishima also collects successive generations of Seiko's "divers" watches. The leftmost model in the photo is the first model, the second to fourth from the left is the 300 Diver, the highest-end model of the time, the fifth to seventh is the second model, the eighth to ninth is the third model, and the rightmost four are quartz models.

."A large collection of watches by "Seiko" other than "Divers" was also collected. Many of the watches, such as the "Seiko Five," which was attractive because of its low price, and the "World Time," which instantly shows the time in cities around the world, have designs that are extraordinarily fresh when viewed today. Some of these models have reached a premium and cost more than 300,000 yen each. These watches, which I have been collecting little by little since I was a high school student, have now become a rare collection.

."I have a collection of vintage Rolexes, but I am particularly attached to Seiko watches, which I have admired since I was a child, and I have been chasing them ever since. Among them, "divers' watches," which can withstand being in water, have been a dream of mine since I was in elementary school. I always wanted to get one someday, and as I grew older, I began to find and acquire successive generations of models. I also liked the design of the "Seiko Five Sport" and "World Time" series, so I try to find dead stocks at local watch stores and acquire them.

."I used to look at "World Time" and wonder if one day I would go to London. I still feel like I am pursuing my childhood dream.

The space at SALON BONCOURA is uniquely decorated with iron objects created by Shoichi Takahashi, a Hokkaido-born sculptor whom Mr. Morishima often visits. Shoichi Takahashi has been called a too-early iron sculptor, as he was ambitious in creating sculptures using iron at the dawn of his career. Although he also left sculptures and paintings made of wood, Morishima's collection consists mainly of works made of scrap iron and other materials. His rough and rugged objects have the power to transform a space.

."SALON BONCOURA" displays nearly 20 iron objects created by Shoichi Takahashi, which, combined with the vintage-inspired clothing, create a unique world view. The objects, which are made of mechanical scrap iron, have an organic impression due to the human touch, and fit perfectly in the space converted from an old shed.

Morishima says that he also encountered Shoichi Takahashi's works in Hokkaido. . In Hokkaido, you can come across some really nice things," he says. A few years ago, I happened to find one when I was browsing in an antique shop, and I was inspired to collect them all. . I love the unique abstract atmosphere. Although he is not yet a highly acclaimed artist, I would like to continue to collect his works whenever I come across them.

."Famous or unknown, it doesn't matter to me. I want to collect what attracts me at that moment.

So far, we have looked at Mr. Morishima's collection, but the items he collects are not necessarily widely recognized as collectible items. Rather, they are all items that Mr. Morishima found value in independently, ahead of their time. It is a collection that was established because he is not bound by the values of others. Mr. Morishima describes his collecting habits as follows. He says, "When I come into contact with a lot of good things, I get a lot of hints, and I can create good clothes myself. Even if not directly, all of my collections help me in my craftsmanship. . Everything I collect is something I acquired because I like it, so I don't sell it and buy something else. I have never sold anything I acquired," he says. As Morishima happily talks about his collection in a space surrounded only by his favorite things, the interview team realized that collecting is not about wallets, but about filling one's heart. Why don't you step into the world of deep collectors, too?