世界一の理容技術を次の世代に

[:ja]

2008年3月のアメリカ・シカゴ。第32回世界理美容技術選手権大会に世界60ヵ国から理容師・美容師たちが集まりました。2年ごとに開かれる理美容界のオリンピックで、理容部門の日本代表チームがチャンピオンに輝きました。日本が団体で金メダルをとったのは16年ぶりのことです。

2009年1月、優勝した代表チーム3人のうち2人に東京都知事賞が贈られました。受賞者の一人が、佐藤秀樹さんです。東京都三鷹市とその周辺の市で5つの店を経営、現在、6店目のオープンも計画しています。

佐藤さんは理容室を経営する両親の長男として山形県に生まれました。「毎日お客さんが来て、両親が髪を切ります。帰る時には『ありがとう』と言われます。そんな両親を見て、いつかは自分も、と自然に思うようになりました」と佐藤さんは語ります。18歳で東京へ来て理容専門学校で基礎を学んだ後、憧れだった田中トシオさんのヘアーサロンに入社しました。

入社1年目で、かねてからの夢だったコンテストへ出ることができました。「父もかつてはコンテストに出ていましたし、いつかは自分も世界大会で優勝したいと思っていました」。すでに世界大会の優勝経験者だった田中トシオさんからは、「人の数倍、努力しなさい。競争相手を気にせず、自分らしい作品を目指しなさい」と指導されました。

開店前と閉店後にそれぞれ3時間、休日は10時間。佐藤さんはヘッドマネキンやモデルを相手にひたすら訓練を続けました。入社5年目には新宿店の店長を任され、翌年には当時史上最年少で全国理容競技大会で優勝。しかし、佐藤さんにとってそれは「あくまでも通過点」でした。「ようやく世界大会への出場権を得た」と、さらに気を引きしめました。

佐藤さんがもっとも得意とするのは「クラシカルカット」と呼ばれるヘアースタイルです。「50年以上も前に流行した髪形で、今はコンテスト種目として伝えられ、確かな技術がなければできないカットです。コンテストで入賞することは、お店に来てくれるお客さんに正確なカット技術を提供し、安心、信頼を与えるためです」と語ります。

2003年に独立。三鷹市に1号店を開きました。国内外での数々の受賞歴も評判になり、店の経営は順調です。努力によって身につけた技術を、佐藤さんは若いスタッフに教えます。年6回はコンテストへの出場を勧め、自ら指導にあたります。「閉店後や休日に指導しますが、教えるのは10あるうちの3くらい。基本だけ教えて、残りはそれぞれにまかせます。イメージを語るのではなく、具体的な技術をどんどん見せます」。

さらに、「後継者をたくさん育てるのが目標です。そして、日本の技術を世界にも伝えていきたいです」と続けます。そのため指導の場は自身の店だけにとどまりません。他店の若い理容師たちや理容学校の生徒たちを前に講演も行っています。2009年からは、師匠の田中トシオさんとともに外国の理容師に技術指導を行うためアジアの国々を訪れる活動を始めました。

忙しい佐藤さんですが、ときどき山形県の実家へ帰ります。「60歳を越えても現役の両親は今でも尊敬しています。ぼくが後を継がなかったことは、結果的に親孝行になったのかもしれませんね」と笑います。10月にはパリカップオープンで金メダルをとりました。現在は、2010年に同じ地で開かれる世界大会に向け、代表チームのトレーナーとして、また、2年連続優勝を目指す選手として、トレーニングを続けています。

HAIR RESORT CLIPS : http://www.hrclips.com/

[2010年1月号掲載記事]

[:en]
In March 2008, the 32nd OMC HairWorld Championships of Beauty was held in Chicago, drawing hairdressers from 60 countries. This biannual competition is better known as the “Olympics of Hair,” and the Japanese team won the championship in the Hairdressing Category. It was the first time in 16 years for a Japanese team to win a gold medal at this competition.
In January 2009, two of the three competitors on the winning team were given an award from the governor of Tokyo. One of the award recipients was SATO Hideki. He runs five shops in Mitaka City, Tokyo, and other neighboring towns. He is currently planning to open his sixth salon.
He was born as the eldest son of parents running a hair salon in Yamagata Prefecture. “Every day customers came in and had their hair cut by my parents. When they were leaving, the customers always said, ‘Thank you.’ Seeing the way my parents worked, I found myself wanting to be a hairdresser someday,” Sato says. He came to Tokyo at age 18 and learned the basics at a barber school. After that, he joined a hair salon run by TANAKA Toshio, whom he had long admired.
One year after he started at the salon, he realized his long-cherished dream of participating in a contest. “My father had entered competitions, and I wanted to win the world championship someday,” he says. While instructing Sato, Tanaka Toshio, who had won a world championship himself, said, “Make several times more effort than other people. Concentrate on completing your work without minding your competitors.”
Sato would practice on head mannequins and people for three hours before the salon opened and another three hours after it closed. On his days off, he put in 10 hours. In his fifth year at the salon, he was appointed manager of the Shinjuku branch. The following year, he became the youngest participant to have won a national championship. But it was just a stepping stone for Sato. Now that he had qualified for the world championships, he became even more motivated.
What Sato does best is a hairstyle called the ‘Classical Cut.’ “It is a hairstyle that became popular over 50 years ago. Now the hairstyle is often used as a category at hair competitions because it requires genuine skills. The reason I strive to win prizes at contests is that I would like to prove my precise cutting skills and give my customers a sense of security and trust,” he says.
In 2003, Sato went independent. He opened his first salon in Mitaka City. Business is good, as Sato’s record of winning a number of awards at home and abroad has brought a good reputation to his salons. Sato likes to teach young staff the skills he has mastered by dint of hard work. He advises them to enter six competitions a year and instructs them himself. “I give instructions after the shop is closed and on days off. I teach only the basics, 30 percent of what they need to know, and leave the rest up to their own creativity. Rather than talking about images, I show them lots of specific skills,” he says.
“One of my goals is to train a lot of hairdressers to follow in my footsteps. I would also like to tell the world about the skills of the Japanese,” he continues. Thus his classes are not limited to his salons. He also gives lectures to young hairdressers in other salons and students at barber schools. In 2009, he started visiting other Asian countries with his mentor Tanaka Toshio in order to give technical guidance to local hairdressers.
Though he has a hectic work schedule, he visits his parents’ house in Yamagata Prefecture every once in a while. “I really respect my parents because they are over 60 years old and still active as hairdressers. I didn’t take over the family business, but as it turns out, that has made me a better son, I guess,” Sato says laughing. He gained the gold medal at Paris Cup Open last October, and is currently preparing for the world championships to be held in Paris in 2010, as both a trainer for the national team and a competitor aiming for his second consecutive title.
HAIR RESORT CLIPS : http://www.hrclips.com/
[From January Issue 2010][:]