The Complete Japanese Joinery

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It is at this point very clear that the Japanese have achieved nothing short of absolute mastery, as these buildings are an incredible feat of engineering, and the knowledge of wood and total command of simple tools is astonishing.

Overview: A lovely visual book leaning more towards the aesthetics of each joint rather than for a practical woodworker wishing to make them or wanting to know where to use them.

This introduction to Japanese joinery delves into the history and development of Japanese carpentry, and it also reveals many secrets of Japanese joinery. I am a second generation homebuilder and woodworker and am intensely fascinated with alternative ways of building that pay more respect to the materials we use. We are going to include some timber framing in the design and this book may prove to be the final piece to the puzzle. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. We have been interested in Japanese houses and carpentry for a while now, toying with the idea of building a traditional Japanese house one day, and we would love to learn more about Japanese carpentry!

After finishing school, he embarked on an apprenticeship in Leipzig Germany to learn how to build Japanese shoji and fusuma sliding doors, as well as solid wood furniture. Over 50 different joints are showcased, ranging from traditional joints which have been used over hundreds of years to the most recent innovations in Japanese joint design. It will be interesting to see his take on a particular topic whereas Just Enough is a great overview of a variety of Japanese living techniques. He retired in 2017 from the Kanazawa Institute of Technology, where he founded the Future Design Institute, and is currently on the sculpture faculty of Musashino Art University in Tokyo.

This book has so much potential for learning and understanding why their way of building works for them and to build here in the same manner with the same techniques. Nishioka is presented often as a enigmatic master, totally steeped in tradition and often belittling his own skill compared to that of his ancestors, strict and unwavering, yet also generous. Through a synthesis of textual, pictorial, and archeological sources, this work sheds light on Kyoto's premodern urban landscape with the aim of opening up new ways of thinking about key aspects of premodern Japanese history. Focusing primarily on a new guesthouse in California, this elegant volume shows how a classic Japanese house can be built to offer the warmth and comfort that modern homemakers require.

In this post, you’ll find my review of Azby Brown’s The Genius of Japanese Carpentry, and details for how you can enter to win your own copy. Brackett’s descriptions of his design and construction process, as well as of the wood material he uses, are enticing and provide a lot of technical and philosophical insight. Some of my earliest memories include attempting to draw similar house plans in the dark, in notebooks, after mom’s lights out.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Presenting 48 joints, selected from among the several hundred known and used today, this book will please anyone who has ever been moved by the sheer beauty of wood. Overview: The tools, techniques and philosophies that make Japan’s unique woodworking culture so special. If you read the journals of 18th Century woodworkers you’ll find they were unbelievably fast —using only hand tools.