Japanese Woodcraft

In Japan, 70% of the land is covered with forests, and there are said to be as many as 200 species of trees, including coniferous trees such as cedar and cypress, and broad-leaved trees such as zelkova, chestnut, and horse chestnut, that are used for construction and woodworking. Japanese wood crafts are made by making the most of the characteristics of the wood from each production area. For example, bamboo crafts in Kyushu, Japanese cypress products in Gifu, and cedar products in Akita are famous.
Woodworking techniques developed along with tools, giving rise to a variety of woodworking techniques such as sashimono, carving, gouging, grinding, bending, and hooping. The skillful use of tools such as axes, machetes, planes, saws, chisels, and files in Japanese woodworking supports not only the lives of people but also the cultural heritage of temples and shrines. The elaborate techniques that have been cultivated over a long period of history are highly regarded around the world.

The Japanese archipelago is home to many forests due to its warm and humid climate conditions. For this reason, since ancient times, various wood working techniques have been in use for building materials and traditional crafts. The earliest woodcraft relics in the Japanese heritage date back as far as the Jomon (10,500-300 BC) and Yayoi (300 BC-AD 300) periods. They primarily included bowls, bows, combs and stem-cups. It was during the Edo period when the Japanese woodenware was developed into a form of art as highly skilled woodworkers were needed to create complex wooden designs. This boom continued through the Meiji period and gradually woodcraft became a key element of modern-day crafts. Today, woodenware play a major role on a Japanese dining table. From chopsticks and spoons to bowls and lunch boxes, this natural element not only adds aesthetic value but also gives an organic touch to the food presentation.

Wood Preparation and Woodcraft Techniques

In the Japanese woodenware tradition, Wood is mainly categorized as hardwood, softwood and imported foreign woods where the preparation and cutting is an intricate process that requires a variety of skills, techniques, and tools.

Artistic use of wood grain

Image Source: https://wp1.fuchu.jp/~kagu/siryo/moku.htm

Random grain patterns on timber are largely utilized while creating artistic woodenware allowing the grain of the timber to speak for themselves. In Japanese woodcrafts, these patterns are categorized as Tama-moku (circular burl), Sasa-moku (bamboo leaf burl), Budo-moku (grape burl), and Uzura-moku (quail feather burl).

Cutting techniques

The Cutting technique is decided by what type of grain design is expected to surface in the woodcraft. For instance, Masame dori is a cutting technique that allows growth rings to appear in parallel to each other whereas Itame dori or ‘In cross grained cutting’ allows growth rings to appear in irregular patterns.

Authentic woodcraft techniques

Japanese wood joinery, aka Sashimono is perhaps the most popular in the world among Japan’s woodwork techniques where only wood joints are used to join wood instead of nails, to give a precise, high-quality, organic finishing. Commonly used for creating bowls and trays, Kurimono refers to the technique of hollowing out a block of wood using a carving blade or a chisel. Hikimono is the traditional Japanese woodturning technique of using a lathe where the consistent rotation is used by the wood worker to carve out different symmetrical forms. Magemono is the unique bentwood technique which is used to bend thin sheets of Japanese softwoods such as cedar or cypress. Wood sheets are soaked in hot water which allows them to be bent into oval shapes. Cedar and cypress wood are well known for their flexibility, temperature retention properties as well as antiseptic qualities making them ideal for food serving too.