Can science help create a better surfboard—or does the magic still come from the hands of the shaper?
This week on The Temple of Surf Podcast, we travel to Japan for a fascinating conversation with Keitaro Oshima, founder, shaper and builder behind Curvaceous Surfboards.
Born in Tokyo and raised in Yokohama, Keitaro represents a new generation of surfboard builders approaching an ancient question from a very different perspective:
What makes a surfboard truly work?
Keitaro graduated from the University of Tokyo in 2023, but his academic journey unexpectedly became connected to surfing.
While at university, he began researching surfboard structures. At the same time, curiosity pushed him beyond theory.
He started teaching himself how to actually build surfboards.
Today, Keitaro personally handles the entire process behind his boards—from shaping and glassing to the final finish.
That combination of research and craftsmanship makes his story particularly interesting.
Through Curvaceous Surfboards, Keitaro explores the relationship between hydrodynamics, curves, materials, craftsmanship and ultimately the feeling a surfer experiences when standing on a board.
His philosophy is beautifully simple:
Built beautiful. Works well.
The name Curvaceous comes from his fascination with the beauty of curves, but these boards aren't designed simply to look beautiful.
Every curve has consequences.
An outline changes how a board moves through the water. Rails influence the relationship between board and wave. Bottom contours, volume, length and fin configuration can completely transform the experience under a surfer's feet.
And Keitaro doesn't see his existing models as untouchable finished products.
They are starting points.
The surfer's body, the waves they ride, their existing quiver and the feeling they are searching for can all influence how an individual board evolves.
In this episode, we explore surfboard shaping from both the scientific and human perspective.
Can the feeling of a great surfboard actually be measured?
What does hand shaping offer in an age of CNC machines and increasingly sophisticated production?
How much should young shapers learn from the generations that came before them?
And where does experimentation begin?
We also explore the extraordinary culture of Japanese craftsmanship, Keitaro's unconventional path into shaping, the importance of building a surfboard from beginning to end, and his search for new possibilities without losing respect for surfboard history.
Curvaceous produces everything from fish and twin fins to mid-lengths, single fins, gliders and noseriders.
But behind all those different designs is one central idea:
A surfboard should do more than function.
It should create an emotional response.
Something that makes you want to pick it up.
Study its curves.
Take it to the ocean.
And discover what it can do.
This is a conversation about surfboard design, shaping, science, craftsmanship, experimentation, Japanese surf culture and the endless pursuit of a better feeling on a wave.
🎙️ Listen to the full conversation with Keitaro Oshima on The Temple of Surf Podcast.
