Japanese Carpentry

Japanese carpenters have a long tradition of building with wood. The country’s climate is harsh and earthquakes are common, so buildings are made with durability in mind.

Carpenters have a lot of knowledge about how different kinds of wood work, including the way it shrinks and expands as it ages. They also know which joinery techniques will be the strongest and most beautiful for the job at hand.

Tools

Japanese carpenters use a variety of tools to work with wood. These tools are used to cut and shape wood as well as to measure and mark.

Some of these tools, such as the hand plane, are designed to be used by a person using their hands. Others, such as a chisel, are used to cut into wood with the blade being forcefully pulled over it.

Saws are also important in Japanese carpentry. There are a number of different types of saws, including dozuki saws, which have two sets of teeth. They are good for crosscuts and rips.

A Japanese saw is especially useful for cutting tenons and dovetails. This is a type of joinery, or woodworking joint. This method of joining pieces together involves a lot of mechanical interlock and wedges to keep the joints together.

Techniques

In Japan, traditional carpenters often work to create furniture that combines form and function. Their skills are refined by a rigorous training regimen and inherited from generations of their family.

Japanese carpentry relies on intricate joinery that connects wood instead of using screws and nails. This is a key element in the construction of buildings as the joints are designed to withstand earthquakes, which are common in Japan.

Master carpenters typically specialize in one of four areas of carpentry. These include miyadaiku, who build temples and shrines; sukiya-daiku, who construct tea houses; sashimono-shi, who create furniture; and tateguya, who build interiors such as shoji screens.

In the first video, a kiguminoie, or timber house, is built using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques. It’s a peaceful process that involves community and ceremony.

Materials

Japanese joinery techniques are an elegant synthesis of form and function. Using complex wooden joints, carpenters connect wood to form a stable, long-lasting structure that doesn’t require nails or screws.

These skills are a result of years of training and practice. This is a craft that requires mastery of design, and a deep knowledge of how to manipulate the materials at hand.

A new exhibit at the Japan Society in New York examines this craft through a collection of traditional tools and wooden models. The exhibition, “When Practice Becomes Form: Carpentry Tools from Japan,” reflects joinery techniques used for centuries by master carpenters (or toryo) in the construction of wooden temples and shrines throughout Japan.

These structures are built from a variety of types of wood, including cedar, cypress and chestnut. These natural materials are admired for their beautiful grain and their durability. In addition, they’re renowned for their resistance to rot and decay.

Aged Wood

The use of aged wood is an important part of the traditional carpentry techniques used in japanese carpentry. Aged wood gives a rustic, worn look to the wood that can’t be achieved with electric jigsaws or sanders.

In Japan, quartersawn lumber is commonly used in high-quality furniture and architectural elements, such as the tokonoma (a decorative alcove where art or arranged flowers are displayed) and the genkan (the entrance hall where guests are greeted and shoes removed). This type of wood is stronger and easier to plane and sand than plainsawn wood.

You can mimic this effect with a simple DIY method that uses ingredients you likely have in your kitchen. Using vinegar and steel wool, you can create an aging stain that will darken the color of the wood over time.