Tsukuru1

The Japanese word tsukuru (several different kanji characters are used for this word) has clearly different meanings depending on the character used to express it. 作る (tsukuru) gets its meaning from a hieroglyphic character that symbolizes a man holding an ax&sbquo or another cutting tool&sbquo which suggests the making of forms by cutting or fashioning materials. It means giving form to things by subtracting&sbquo or cutting away unnecessary Parts. The majority of Japan is covered with forests and groves&sbquo which the Japanese have cleared at times in order to create space. It is considered that this natural environment is the very foundation of Japan's "form creative" culture. It is a spatial culture characterized by the maintenance of a noble and abbreviated state of form&sbquo as close as possible to nothingness&sbquo as seen in the shoin-zukuri architecture of the Muromachi period. The difference between 制作 and 製作 (both are pronounced seisaku&sbquo meaning "making" or "manufacturing") is that the former implies a method that enables the expression of the creator's individuality and employs simple tools&sbquo while the latter implies the involvement of a method in which compatibility or adaptability with the material used is more complex. The completed "thing" in either case is 作品&sbquo a "piece&sbquo" or "work&sbquo" Therefore&sbquo 制作 and 製作is generally used to express the ways in which artists create things&sbquo their individuality and the simplicity of the toots they use. In the relationship between design and 作る&sbquo the kanji制作 and 製作are appropriate in regards to a designer as an individual or to a design team that is creating things like design models or mockups.

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