The Art of Japanese Woodwork

venturist | Mar 15, 2010 |

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Woodworking is one of the oldest arts in the known world today. As long as there have been people, there have been trees that could be cut down and reworked into something else for human use. Woodworking started simply with things like cups, bowls and spears but now woodwork is used to make things like bookcases, beds and even entire houses. So it makes sense that Japanese woodworking is some of the most respected, revered woodworking in the entire world, as Japanese culture is one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world and they've had quite a lot of time to perfect their art.

So what tools are typically used in Japanese woodwork? Japanese woodworkers use chisels, marking knives, planes, hammers, chisels, spoke shaves, axes, scrapers, spear pines and adzes, among others. Japanese woodwork tools are known for being especially sharp so that they cut wood far more easily; and even the handsaws are designed so that they come in all sizes and there's a perfect one for every need. What makes Japanese woodwork even more special is the fact that they have managed to come up with a method of construction that actually hides joints, which gives furniture a truly beautiful look.

Japanese woodwork is so influential in Japan that even the houses are constructed based around its principles. Most Japanese woodworking consists of building storage spaces like closets, shelves and other storage alcoves directly into the walls so nothing sticks out; this means that there is very little furniture in a typical Japanese house. However, there are some classes of Japanese furniture that are famous all over the world: the tansu class and the nagamochi classes of furniture. The tansu class of furniture includes things like very simple chests, bolted-door chests and even step-like chests-on-chests that save space. The nagamochi class, meanwhile, includes things like trunks and other pieces that box-like and a little bit bigger. There are other types of Japanese woodwork furniture that includes shelves made with doors that have ceremonial purposes like displaying ancient scrolls or things like tea ceremonies.

But what makes Japanese woodwork truly famous in the world isn't so much the pieces themselves as it is the work that goes into them. Those who are masters in Japanese woodwork are afforded a deep respect. They have spent years perfecting their woodworking skills and are often perfectionists that refuse to let a flawed piece leave their stores. They are meticulous in their work and some furniture can take weeks and even months to construct right.