[Music] a box fashioned from two types of [Music] wood palonia chests with a glossy silver [Music] grain wooden shelves lacquered and embellished [Music] these handcrafted wooden items are created without the use of metal Nails in the traditional craft known as kyotto style joinery kto is home to many atison known for their intricate woodworking skills [Music] H in recent years local joiners have gained attention for leveraging their skills Beyond tradition to create decorative interiors and ornate lighting fixtures [Music] [Music] cor kyotto explores how local Artisans transpose the Vitality of trees into beautiful wooden artwork [Music] kotto
is bordered by mountains to the north east and [Music] west from ancient times people relied on the nearby forests for materials to construct their towns their woodworking skills not only contributed to the dwellings and religious structures but also the fixtures and Furnishings Within the sugisaka area lies north of the city center this region tucked deep in the mountains is known for its quality [Music] Cedar a small Workshop is nestled in the valley it is run by by renowned Joiner Shimizu Takashi he primarily handcrafts boxes he focuses on traditional Works including containers for utensils used in
tea Gatherings Shimizu specializes in hexagonal containers for suets used during the Gatherings by integrating two types of wood with different coloring he joins mirror images to create twin pieces he also favors gindai Japanese Cedar this exceedingly valuable Lumber had been buried underground for hundreds or thousands of years before being found Shimizu is currently creating a hexagonal container from from palonia and gindai Cedar with the final design in his mind he begins by drafting lines on the material he aspires to evoke the mountains surrounding [Music] Kyoto he cuts the Stacked ponia and cedar boards with a
front saw slowly easing the wood forward he takes care to work the saw uniformly the blade is about half the width of a normal woodworking blade this helps achieve a delicate curve applying too much force results in uneven surfaces which leave gaps when pieces are [Music] joined the palonia and gindai ceders slide together in a Flawless fit displaying the ridg line Shimizu [Music] envisioned as a base for the adhesive he uses a wooden spatula to mash steamed rice into a paste the the same way it has been done for Generations he also adds chemical [Music]
adhesive the stickiness of the rice starch and the strength of the chemical woodworking glue together yield a strong long adhesive [Music] Bond the two glued wooden pieces are dried overnight or for a full day in a vise the BNS are then cut into six pieces they are joined at 60° angles to form a perfect hexagon Shimizu uses a homemade planer table the board is set on the table which is adjusted to a 60° angle the protruding area is shaved off he aligns the angles of all six boards to [Music] 60° the planer is a vital
tool for joiners the shavings measuring less than 0.1 mm are Testament to the artison subtle [Music] technique one particular tool Shimizu received as a child inspired him to become a joiner [Music] upon receiving this gift Shimizu vowed to become a joiner like his father who excelled at making T utensils he remembers his father was strict in his guidance [Music] Shu makes a small groove on the edges to help the boards adhere he applies glue to the 60° surfaces and the boards are joined he wraps string to hold them in place and leaves them to dry
over night once dried Shimizu makes a slit at Each corner he applies a bit of glue to Small Pine tubs and wedges one into each slit the tabs are first pounded with a hammer to make them thinner after they have dried he saws off the extraneous bits then he files and Smooths the overall surface the last step is oiling for a glossy finish [Music] the container depicting Cotto's mountains took 3 days to complete the visible growth rings are a reminder of the trees's [Music] longevity conjoining two varieties of wood into a harmonious unit is a
source of joy for Shimizu [Music] furniture stores are huddled along abis suaad Dori in the city [Music] center one shop opened in 1856 the business made makes and sells furniture and items made using Kyoto joinery palonia chests are treasured for the woods pesticidal properties in this town where kimono remains part of the culture [Music] creating a chest requires different techniques to those used to make boxes on closer inspection the frame is comprised of assembled [Music] wood the artison makes trapezoidal protrusions on one end of the wood he creates corresponding grooves in the other plank before
joining the two this creates a strength which will resist even forceful pulling the absence of metal Nails in joinery means no rust thus minimizing deterioration repair is simplified since the item can be easily disassembled palonia chests were once part of a bride's true Soul the store also houses a Furniture Museum on its premises it offers insight into the culture of joinery [Music] the roots of Koto Joiner lie in traditional wooden architecture in the 6th Century Buddhist architecture was introduced from the Asian mainland along with Buddhism itself built using joinery and no Nails whatsoever these structures
survived earthquakes and other natural disasters occurring over time some are still standing various joinery techniques were devised to enhance structural [Music] durability some Builders decided to broaden their skills to produce home furnishings and fixtures in the process establishing the joinery profession these joiners develop skills unique to kyotto [Music] after the capital moved to kyotto in the late 8th Century Court culture cultivated the use of lacker mother of pearl gold dust and other decorative Styles this melding of Elegance with tradition produced a more sophisticated joinery [Music] as tea Gatherings evolved and spread in the 16th century
a spirit and sense of rustic Beauty engendered a purer form of Kyoto joinery expanding the Craft's expressive Horizons in the latter half of the 19th century when Western culture was freely allowed to enter Japan the art form absorbed new elements and further expanded [Music] CH chuko toyoto Southwest was built in 1928 by architect Fuji kji as his private residence while his family lived in the house he conducted numerous experiments and improvements in his quest to create the ideal Japanese residence [Music] The Parlor reflects wooden [Music] modernism the sofa and Furnishings merge with the traditional Alco
Beyond creating a space that integrates both Japanese and Western Aesthetics [Music] Fuji designed the furniture which was crafted in the abuga Dori shop [Music] while incorporating Western culture Fuji relied on joinery techniques to create his ideal residence like all traditions in the ancient Capital the craft developed with The Changing Times and Incorporated new elements [Music] [Music] light spills out from intricate patterns within the wood enveloping the space in a soft warmth this woodworking technique known as Kumiko involves fitting slender lengths of wood into a wooden frame to create geometric patterns it is usually used in
the paper screens and transoms of wooden [Music] structures Kumiko was devised as a two-dimensional form murayama Shin Ichi was the first to transform it into threedimensional art [Music] [Music] koku an area in Northwestern kotto is known for its thriving Lumber [Music] industry Mama's Workshop is located here the L shade he is working on will be part of a hotel's interior Decor the shade is made from Japanese Cypress a pale wood with just the right firmness to facilitate [Music] processing the individual parts are made first with the wood cut into small pieces the pieces are 26
mm in length each tip is cut to form a a point each Pond is snapped and bent before being wedged in to create a Groove a second part is fitted into this groove the three sections each measuring just over 1 cm together form a geometric pattern [Music] an electric saw is used to cut the wood and shape a [Music] projection a special square drill is used to create the hole for the [Music] projection joinery techniques are used in every step along the way it took about a week to create the lampshade when murayama first became
a joiner he created T utensils in dollar camont [Music] they may be Miniatures but they demand the same skills required of their full-sized counterparts [Music] in the early 2000s affordable products took over the market and the demand for handcrafted doll autant dropped sharply in 2009 amidst Hard Times Mama experienced a turning point a friend asked him to create Kumiko decor for a wedding hall so he went from working in miniature to creating a M panel of unprecedented [Music] size he completed the project after a year and a half of trial and error a gentle Ambiance
is Created from the light spilling from the Kumiko [Music] pattern the inventive Kumiko wedding hall interior became a hit sparking order from hotels and businesses [Music] [Music] [Music] Mama's next initiative was a three-dimensional [Music] work his Workshop has an adjacent Cafe that doubles as a showroom cylindrical chandeliers with Shades featuring Kumiko Artistry descend from the ceiling creating a cylindrical form using Kiko required special Insight The Contours of small wooden tubs offered helpful Clues Mama successfully adopted traditional methods for something [Music] new visitors to the cafe are captivated by the chandeliers [Music] [Music] the workshop is
mainly staffed by Young members from around Japan who were allured by Mama's [Music] Creations Mama forms them into teams and leaves them to their work he checks on them regularly encouraging them to use their initiative [Music] [Music] morama is committed to using lumber from koku where he is situated to support the future of Kyoto joinery he is heading not far from his Workshop to a lumber center where lumber from the koku region is up for auction wama purchases much of his Lumber locally to support the industry [Music] [Music] over a millennium kites have harnessed the
vital force of trees to create Exquisite works of interlocking art in what is known as Kyoto joinery
