Lexus releasing 60,000 hour long documentary on four Japanese master craftsman
Lexus is emphasizing its dedication to craftsmanship with a documentary about Japanese master artisanship that's 60,000 hours long, adage.com reports.
Launching on Amazon Prime on March 19th, "Takumi: a 60,000 hour story of the survival of human craft" takes the idea of "slow TV" to extremes. Claimed to be the longest documentary ever produced, it is intended to immerse the viewer in the worlds of four Japanese master craftspeople who spend 60,000 hours (30 years working eight hours a day) to achieve "Takumi" or master artisan status.
The documentary was created by Lexus's U.K. agency The&Partnership and was directed by Clay Jeter, director of "Chef's Table." Narrated by former British Museum director Neil Macgregor, it profiles master craftspeople Shigeo Kiuchi, 67, a master in "Miyadaiku," an ancient form of carpentry; Michelin starred chef Hisato Nakahigashi; master paper-cutter Nahoko Kojima and finally Katsuaki Suganuma, a "Takumi" who has worked at Lexus for 32 years and carries out final inspections on the production line.