Masashi studied furniture making in Japan’s first furniture making school and now runs the furniture program at Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture in Gifu, Japan. The objectives of the Gifu Academy are to produce graduates who can develop innovative and sustainable ways for communities and individuals to use forest and wood resources. Through its work the Gifu Academy encourages everyone to be involved in the revitalization of regional forests, development of regional communities, and rational use of forest and wood resources.