ENJIRO TANOYA

塩職人　田野屋塩二郎

1971年生まれ。東京都出身。
高校時代はラグビーで全国大会に出場。
大学卒業後はサーフショップのオーナーに。

35歳で高知県に移住。
日本一の塩職人・吉田猛氏へ弟子入りし、塩づくりの道へ。

朝4時に起きて、塩の状態を見に行く。
1時間ごとに撹拌し、風や湿度を読んで手を入れる。
気温が少しでも変われば、塩の仕上がりも変わる。

同じ時間に起きて、ただ手を動かす。
そして、塩と会話する。

師匠から教わったことを、
ただ、ひたすらにまっすぐ続けている。


【Enjiro Tanoya: Salt Artisan】

Born in 1971 in Tokyo.
In his school years, he played rugby and competed at the national level.
After graduating from university, he ran his own surf shop.

At the age of 35, he relocated to Kochi Prefecture,
where he began an apprenticeship under Japan’s leading salt craftsman, Takeshi Yoshida.

He wakes at 4 a.m. to check on the salt.
He stirs it by hand once every hour—without fail—adjusting for the wind and humidity.
Even the slightest change in temperature can affect the final outcome.

Day after day, he gets up at the same time and works with his hands—simply, to listen to the voice of the salt.

He simply and steadfastly carries on the teachings passed down from his master.

Photo:Takashi Kurokawa