I have been fascinated by Japanese joinery (木組み, kigumi) for decades, admiring the precision and quiet beauty of wood fitting wood without nails or glue. The log houses of the highlanders of my birthplace used the joinery as well. I remember my friend buying a costly Japanese bed that could be easily assembled and disassembled. I always wanted the house and furniture to be in a traditional Japanese style.
Now that I finally have my own house with a workbench, I can begin exploring this hobby.
There are many books on Japanese joinery, especially in Japanese, on eBay, but I did not find any box sets. My plan is to start by making a miniature joinery box set, scaled-down examples that demonstrate the logic and craftsmanship behind full-sized structures. They take up little space, waste little wood, and can be disassembled for study.
Choosing Woods for Practice
Living in the United States, I don’t have access to traditional Japanese timbers like hinoki (檜, Japanese cypress) or sugi (杉, Japanese cedar), but several local species work surprisingly well:
- Poplar is a first choice for learning. Smooth, consistent texture and inexpensive. Cuts cleanly and holds fine edges, perfect for small kigumi examples.
- Alder is slightly harder than poplar with a warm tone. Its fine grain allows tight, but reversible, fits, making it suitable for dry-fit joinery.
- Western Red Cedar is light, aromatic, and reminiscent of sugi, but it can splinter if too dry.
- Pine is ideal for early practice. It planes easily, responds well to chisels, and is widely available. Eastern white pine is especially good.
- Maple is a dense, beautiful hardwood. I’ll save it for when my hand tools and patience are ready for precision-level work.
Staining and Finish
At first, I won’t use stain. I want to see the true contrast of grain and color between different woods—it helps me understand how the pieces lock together. Later, when I build display joints, I’ll finish them with natural oil or wax, not colored stain. The goal is to highlight the fibers and feel the texture as it was meant to be.
Keeping the Joints Reversible
Japanese joinery often relies on the balance of friction and geometry, so the parts can be taken apart. You should be able to disassemble the joints using a wooden dowel and a mallet.
For the study, I’ll:
- Avoid glue altogether.
- Lightly wax the sliding faces.
- Mark each pair with a small, hidden symbol for reassembly (kigumi-mei, 組み名, “joinery name mark”).
I may combine this with my practice of shodo (calligraphy).
Starting the Journey
I really like the examples of Japanese joinery here:
- 雇い枘差し仕口 Yatoi-hozo-sashi-shikuchi
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/835462810599448576
- 竿車知継ぎ Sao-shachi-tsugi
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/797275288753160192
- 蟻形差し組み仕口Ari-gata-sashi-gumi-shikuchi
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/819748493468106753
- 井桁仕口 (Igeta-shikuchi)
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/801065367011401728
- 蟻形釣り枘仕口 Arigata-tsuri-hozo-shikuchi
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/795952289479434240
- 蟻二枚枘差し仕口 Ari-nimai-hozo-sashi-shikuchi
- https://x.com/TheJoinery_jp/status/794542552460378112
My approach will stay simple: study and cut each joint by hand. I’ll rely only on hand tools —saws, chisels, marking knives —and on patience. No shortcuts, no power tools at first. The goal is not speed but understanding how the wood behaves, and how each joint holds together.
- 仕口 (shikuchi) literally means _joint_ or _connection_ in carpentry, how two pieces of wood are fitted together.
- 仕 (shi) means “to do” or “to make.”
- 口 (kuchi) means “mouth” or “opening.”
Together, 仕口 (shikuchi) describes the way two elements meet and interlock, a functional term for a wood joint, much like “joint” or “connection” in English.
In summary:
- shikuchi (仕口) = joint or joinery connection
- tsugi (継ぎ) = joint in the sense of _splicing or extending_ wood (end-to-end)
- hozo (ほぞ / 枘) = tenon or projecting part inserted into another piece
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