Shaping Up with Takuya 'Tappy' Yoshikawa

The past couple of years, I’ve been invited to shape at the notable Shapers Club in France and also worked closely with RIDE Surf & Sports in Japan which gave me so many opportunities to see and ride various shapers' boards from around the world. In some cases they come and make boards at my factory. I ride boards from shapers that catch my eye. Sometimes it inspires my own shaping, but sometimes it doesn’t at all.  When it does, it's because their initial concept is similar to mine. When it doesn’t, it's because the design interpretation is completely different from my own. 

Recently, I’ve been trying something new by inviting world-renowned glassers such as Angelo De Meulenaere from Belgium to my factory.  I was personally impressed by his craft and his technique was a huge influence on my staff. I also had Alex Villalobos aka Superwolf come over, said to be one of the best in the world, he has an approach that is not bound by traditional techniques.  It feels like he sees the surfboard as a canvas.  It seems that from now on, glassers may be in the spotlight more than shapers.

Instagram has brought out a lot of garage shapers,  most of them are hobby level but I think it's a good trend to make things yourself or with friends and ride them. That said, some of them are selling boards that haven't reached a certain quality level. In the past materials weren't available to just anyone, so only those who were qualified to be shapers became shapers.  It's a sign of changing times, I’ve accepted it for what it is.

Back in the day, surf culture in Japan was just about surfing. That was how you spent the time. If you showed interest in other cultures, you would get scolded by your elders.  Leaving the sea and studying design, fashion culture and music culture in Tokyo was an asset for me.

I started surfing in Shonan and surfed many spots around the world. Thanks to those experiences, I can truly appreciate the high quality of Shonan's reef breaks during typhoon swells.  I usually surf the consistent beach breaks in Chiba, but when a grand swell comes through I head straight to the reefs of Shonan! In winter, I enjoy powder at lesser-known spots a few hours away or I fly home to Hokkaido and enjoy Japan’s best powder known as Japow!