Japan is known to be a country of wood and "wood culture". Written sources on the practical aspect of traditional woodcraft, however, are scarce. For this reason it was decided to undertake a study based on in-depth interviews of craftsmen who are specialised in various fields of traditional woodworking. From the data thus obtained it was possible to study the materials used, the techniques, the nomenclature, the aesthetics and the culture prevailing in the various fields of woodcraft. As a result both the technical and the symbolic and aesthetic properties of wood and woodworking become apparent, as seen from the point of view of Japanese craftsmen who owe their skill and expertise to traditions passed from one generation to the next. As such, this study contributes towards opening a new field of research for art historians, ethnobotanists, archaeologists and japanologists by supplying them with new means and tools to supplement their own. Apart from that, the present study, focusing on wood in all its aspects as it does, ties in with an academic trend that has been developing in Japan over the past few decades.

The Genius of Japanese Carpentry tells the story of the 1200-year-old Yakushiji monastery in Nara and the dedicated modern-day craftsmen who are working to restore what has been lost to the depredations of time, fire and warfare. Although the full monastery reconstruction will not be completed until 2030, one of the main temples, the Picture Hall, has been completely restored employing the same woodworking technology used to create the original building. This new edition of an architectural classic is by Azby Brown—one of the world's leading experts on Japanese architecture. It contains a new preface and many new text materials and photographs—most of them now available in color for the first time. Azby Brown chronicles the painstaking restoration of the temple through extensive interviews with the carpenters and woodworkers along with original drawings based on the plans of master carpenter Tsunekazu Nishioka. An inspiring testament to the dedication of these craftsmen and their philosophy of carpentry work as a form of personal fulfillment, The Genius of Japanese Carpentry offers detailed documentation of this singular project and a moving reminder of the unique cultural continuity found in Japan.

Japan ist weltweit der Inbegriff fÃ1/4r traditionelles Bauen mit Holz und vielfältigste Verwendungen dieses Werkstoffes in allen Lebensbereichen. Auf der Grundlage einer langen handwerklichen Tradition entstehen Produkte von unerreichter technischer Raffinesse, materialgerechter Verarbeitung und minimalistischer Gestaltung. Das Buch stellt die Produkte, Techniken, handwerklichen HintergrÃ1/4nde und Herstellungsschritte von rund dreißig Typen vor: von BrÃ1/4cken Ã1/4ber Wohnhäuser, SchiebetÃ1/4ren und Möbel bis hin zu Behältnissen, Werkzeugen und Musikinstrumenten. Im Mittelpunkt der Beschreibung steht die Genese der Gegenstände. Die einzelnen Arbeitsschritte von der Materialauswahl bis zum Oberflächenfinish wurden von dem renommierten Fotografen Roland Bauer vor Ort in faszinierenden Bildsequenzen festgehalten. Zusammen mit den Detailzeichnungen werden so Aufbau und Herstellung der Holzobjekte begreifbar und nachvollziehbar gemacht.

Tansu, the unique cabinetry of Japan, springs from a rich folk-art tradition. This book is lavishly illustrated with 27 full-color plates and over 260 monochrome photographs of spectacular chests and elegant details. It is divided into two parts, the first on history and the second on techniques. It also includes an invaluable guide to purchasing and conserving tansu.

This text shows how to use Japanese tools effectively and maintain them properly, and explains the role they play in traditional Japanese craftsmanship. It describes how to create razor-sharp cutting edges and introduces almost 50 different planes.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

La menuiserie japonaise complète est le manuel le plus accessible et le plus complet disponible en anglais sur l'art du travail du bois au Japon. Ce livre couvre tous les aspects du métier complexe et exigeant du travail du bois japonais, y compris le soin et l'utilisation des outils, la disposition et le marquage du bois, la découpe des joints et leur assemblage final.

This is the story of the author's apprenticeships with Japanese masters to build five unique and endangered traditional boats. It is part ethnography, part instruction, and part the personal story of a wooden boatbuilder fueled by a passion to preserve a craft tradition on the brink of extinction. Over the course of 17 trips to Japan, Douglas Brooks traveled over 30,000 miles to seek out and interview Japan's elderly master boatbuilders; he built boats with five of them, all in their seventies and eighties, between 1996 and 2010. For most of them, Brooks was their sole and last apprentice. Part I introduces significant aspects of traditional Japanese boatbuilding: design, workshop and tools, wood and materials, joinery and fastenings, propulsion, ceremonies, and the apprenticeship system. Part II details each of his five apprenticeships, concluding with a poignant chapter on Japan's sole remaining traditional shipwright. This fascinating book fills a large and long-standing gap in the literature on Japanese crafts, and will be of interest to boatbuilders, woodworkers, and all those impressed with the marvels of Japanese design and workmanship.

The traditional Japanese house is universally admired for its clean lines, intricate joinery, and unparalleled woodworking. The authors of this elegant volume, Peggy Landers Rao and Len Brackett, show how a classic Japanese- style house can be built to offer the warmth and comfort that modern homeowners require. Len Brackett, rigorously trained in traditional architecture in Kyoto, has spent decades adapting the ancient Japanese design aesthetic to Western needs. He builds traditional live-on-the-floor houses, as well as versions that accommodate furniture. Both types provide the essential features expected in today's new homes - central heating, insulation, weather stripping, thermal glazing, streamlined kitchens, computerized lighting systems, and the latest electronics. The book's primary focus is on a single guesthouse in California, but pictures of other adaptations of the traditional Japanese house in America exemplify various points. Architects will find reference charts of the prescribed set of proportions and dimensions normally passed down through a strict system of apprenticeship. anticipating shrinkage of various woods. A remarkable tool used to lay out precise joints is described in detail. Various sources are given for materials, including where to find a contemporary version of the distinctive, traditional earthen plaster.

This lively introduction to Japanese joinery not only delves lovingly into the unique history and development of Japanese carpentry, but also reveals many secrets of Japanese joinery. Presenting 48 joints, selected from among the several hundred known and used today, this visually exciting book will please anyone who has ever been moved by the sheer beauty of wood. With the clear isometric projections complementing the 64 pages of stunning photographs, even the weekend carpenter can duplicate these bequests from the traditional Japanese carpenter, which can be applied to projects as large as the buildings for which most of them were originally devised or to projects as small as a sewing box.

Focusing on the furniture of the Edo and early Meiji periods, this text lookst the history, aesthetics and techniques of hand-worked traditional Japaneseurniture.