An Introduction to the World of Tools (1969)

Abstract

The word dōgu—tools—is utterly familiar to the Japanese. With every new era, this word has followed in our shadow and never ceased to be a part of us. When the bond between a parent and child is severed, when siblings become estranged and couples separate, tools still stand firmly at people’s sides. They transcend sorrow and joy and are just like the second hand of a watch that ticks away without pause. The history of tools, beginning with objects in clay and stone, can be said to constitute none other than human history itself. The history of tools, objects unable to speak for themselves, trails the history of mankind like a shadow; man and tools emerged on this earth together. When the shadow stops moving, human history comes to its end. The different kinds of tools lined up in museum galleries are reenactments of the drama of their times. They are human landmarks and the thumbprints of mankind. Tools are quiet at first glance, yet they are adamant and bind themselves to human life. This way, though lacking a mouth to speak, tools gain eloquence; without ears, they somehow listen; without eyes, they possess the power of observation; and, without feet, they seem to run. The variety and quantity of tools by far exceed those of living beings, and tools multiply year by year, time and time again. Just as the aspirations of man have no limits, the world of tools grows without bounds. The world of tools impacts human beings from the inside out, by reaching deep into our internal psyche, into our joys, fears, longings, and pleasure. In the process, otherwise invisible forces assume a range of shapes and materialize as features of human life. Individuals, families, societies, peoples, nations—there is no entity that is not impacted by tools: from binoculars and electron microscopes that vastly surpass human eyesight, to microphones that increase a voice’s volume; from bikes and cars that carry us faster than our legs, to axes, hoes, hammers, bulldozers, or presses that expedite the strength of arms, countless tools upsurge the capabilities of human individuals. Through tools, humans have also become aware of a hitherto hidden power. The concentrated force An Introduction to the World of Tools (1969) Ekuan Kenji