Sashimono Woodwork in Japan Japanology

here's an example of Japanese wooden furniture assembled with perfect precision but it's most remarkable feature is not visible these pieces are made solely with wooden joinery not a single nail is used traditional Japanese joinery techniques known as a Shimano have been passed down for centuries they show off the pattern in the wood grain to best effect 70% of Japan's land is forested the Japanese have learned how to bring out the very best of this abundantly available natural material so Shimano furniture is more than just beautiful it also incorporates ingenious and practical features and new life can be breathed into old pieces so that they can continue to serve in contemporary homes on this edition of begin jabber knology we look at a Shimano woodwork which embodies the essence of Japanese aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship [Music] hello and welcome to begin Japanese behind Peter Barragan our theme for today is a Shimano which is a term that I suspect probably means very little to most people quite honestly it didn't mean anything to me either until very recently but I discovered that what it refers to is traditional Japanese joinery and the furniture and objects that are made using it and I'm on my way to visit a shop that specializes in those very articles here in the old part of town in a Saxon well this is the place and you can see it's full of furniture some little low tables here and you've got things like these little mini chest of drawers these are very nice this one's made for CDs it says and a chest like this these things are beautiful aren't they look at the smoothness of that work there they literally there's not one nail used in making this putting it together it's almost unbelievable and then this thing on top in the old days these things were used for storing medicines you can put just about anything in it that really that's beautiful it's fun don't come out stay there let's find out this is done tokyo is home to a joinery tradition dating back centuries wood workers here used to make furniture and household goods that were loved by samurai and merchants in the Shogun's capital it [Music] Toshio tada has been a craftsman in the Edo joinery tradition for 40 years he treasures an heirloom that was passed down to him by his teacher a set of models of the joints used in woodworking there are around 30 different basic types of joint each is intended to join wood pieces in specific shapes and orientations all the joints consist of projecting Tenon's and matching recessed mortises here are two pieces of wood joined at a right angle Tenon's play a vital part in this joint when wood is joined by this method the Tenon's are not visible from the outside the interior surfaces of the boards are carved out to create recessed mortises alternating with projecting Tenon's the Tenon's are carved into a trapezoidal shape that broadens slightly towards the tip and the mortises are carved to a precisely matching shape the facing surfaces of the boards are cut to an angle of exactly 45 degrees using a special plane the two boards are fitted together the Tenon's and mortises interlock perfectly the boards are very securely connected once the boards are joined the mortises and Tenon's are concealed they cannot be seen from the outside not only that the wood grain of the vertical and horizontal boards is aligned across the joint to preserve and even enhance the beauty of the wood here is a more complex technique used to join three pieces of wood together first cases are joined one is card with a tenon the other with a mortise and they're joined at a right angle now an additional mortise is carved into the assembled joint if you disassemble it you can see that a new mortise is just one millimeter from the edge of the first you [Music] you [Music] Yoshio you know where the maker of the display shelf learned the joiners craft from his father slender columns improve the appearance of the objects on display he can make them appear slender by rounding the corners it's an optical illusion the column after it's been beveled looks more elegant there's no comparing little more than there yes in fact this space is the same thickness as the other at its thickest point you can see that the column on the Left really does appear more slender and it's not just the columns the topmost shelf also employs a sophisticated visual illusion you can slip a postcard under the center part of the shelf just one but now flip the shelf over and it won't slide in under the middle in a way delicately shaves the underside of the top shelf giving it an almost imperceptible curve doing this actually makes the shelf appear straighter it's another optical illusion [Music] beveled columns that look slimmer a top shelf with a subtle difference in thickness exceptional techniques are used for every part both visible and invisible this is the hallmark of a Shimano woodwork [Music] I'm now in the neighborhood of Negishi which is also in the old part of town not far from us AXA and it's an area where in the past a lot of sashiman or craftsmen used to live I'm going to be visiting the workshop of mr. Toshio toda there's a man you've just seen in the video and this is it here you can kind of tell from the wood outside can't you on it you are just look at all the wood stacked here on this side all in here and all around here - just look at all this stuff amazing I know that your work is incredibly intricate and there are some special tools you used to do it I was wondering if you could show some of them to us today these are particularly special to us a Shimano craftsman the baby plan oh these all different something like this one and this one there are more than 130 in all once a big plane like this becomes unusable you've gotta jump into it make these but you round off the edge like this and then this plane right here is for a finer shaving like this part and that one is for when you want to create a curved groove like this oh wow see like this it sounds like a lot of it must be a lot of fun actually working with it with this oh yeah to make something out of a piece of wood I enjoyed it since I was a kid so yes it is fun okay let's move on now and take a look at the most common kind of furniture maybe soshim oh no and that's the chest of drawers toward IG temple in nara prefecture the great buddha hall here is one of the largest wooden structures in the world tour deities buildings were all constructed using interlocking wooden Timbers it's thought that these construction techniques came to Japan from the Asian continent along with Buddhism itself such techniques were applied to making furniture and household goods at shore sewing a storehouse of ancient treasures you can see one of the earliest examples of the use of wooden joinery this box is believed to have been used to hold sacred offerings around 500 years ago techniques for milling thin boards using a special saw became more advanced allowing more complex wooden objects to be made would the growth of Japan's economy during samurai times many types of wooden furniture became popular this is a stepped chest of drawers it was invented to make efficient use of the space beneath stairs the unique shape is used to fit in drawers of various sizes here's a compact chest used by merchants it even contains a built-in abacus for counting money in centuries past typical dwellings were made of wood and use a lot of paper as a result fires spread rapidly the city suffered countless devastating conflagrations to protect valuables on those occasions wheeled cabinets were constructed the wheels made them easy to trundle to safety in the event of a fire [Music] japanese chests of drawers also went to see ocean transport was an important means of distributing goods in those days ships serving ports around japan enjoyed a bustling trade these nautical chests of drawers were used aboard ship each one is compact to suit cramped quarters and sturdy enough to withstand rough seeds this cabinet has an ingenious ante theft feature the drawer in the middle looks old but it actually slides to the side to reveal another drawer inside open this door and behind it is a paulownia book [Music] remove the front panel of the drawer and another paulownia box is revealed the front panel of that box then slides away to reveal yet another box [Music] it takes nine steps to reach the innermost compartment [Music] and some of the doors have locks as well all together it's a pretty effective way to protect the owners most precious documents or other possessions [Music] during samurai times the merchant class became affluent enough to buy fancy clothes and as a result needed chests to store them in and these were made in many parts of Japan this style of furniture originates from the city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture the extensive use of metal fittings echoes the design of Japanese nautical chests another characteristic of this type two draws is the use of multiple layers of lacquer on the front after the lack of dryers its polished with a whetstone after many coats the chest acquires a translucent amber hue with a mirror-like Sheen [Music] you from tiny boxes to and chests of drawers beautifully finished Sashi mono furniture served as a symbol of a prosperous life I'm in shin-kiba a part of Tokyo where you can find top grade lumber from all over Japan in fact the name of shin-kiba itself actually means new wood place these logs that you see here in the olden days would have been floated down the river these days they're brought by truck inland but they're kept here in the water because it's an ideal environment for preserving the wood they've got an absolutely unbelievable variety of different kinds of wood here I'm going to take a look at some of them can you explain please some of the different kinds of wood you have here this is Japanese horse chestnut the pale color of the wood exudes a natural warmth so it's a popular material for dining tables and things like that this is the rare naturally blackened wood of the species called date plug and every piece is different like some crack more easily than others if it looks like it might crack then keep it in a cold place or lay it down flat whatever you have to take good care of it for 5 years to turn it into good lumber we've been talking about the grain in the wood nature's own design work if you like in each one of course unique next we're going to take a look at how Japanese woodworkers take advantage of that grain 70% of Japan's land is covered in forest for thousands of years the people of Japan have felled trees and made use of the timber Japanese joinery work makes use of various woods including zelkova he na ki Cyprus and paulownia paulownia is relatively fast-growing lightweight and easy to work it readily absorbs moisture so it's often used for clothes chests and boxes that are used to store precious items mulberry trees growing in the mountains are a source of wood that is very hard thanks to its dense grain making it suitable for intricate work let's meet a master craftsman in Kyoto who does traditional joinery using mulberry wood his name is caution cow Amato for nearly 30 years he has mainly made items used for the teaser what matters most of Kalamata is the pattern shown by the wood grain to highlight the wood grain he paints lime onto a mulberry board and lets it drive when he wiped it off and polishes the Lord the distinctive effect is achieved whether this is what we call a mold recolor the pattern in the wood grain stands out better against this and the original yellow this is an item called a tobacco tray used in the tea ceremony the beautiful natural pattern in the wood grain has been enhanced and this is something the guests will enjoy looking at [Music] 200 kilometers south of Tokyo is Makara an island known for its sheer cliffs this is the source of Mulberry wood that is said to have the most beautiful wood grain patterns of all Mulberry from Nicaragua is hard only specimens that can endure stormy ocean gales survive and the grain pattern is a record of each trees tenacity and how does one enhance the pattern of the woodgrain this is where skill comes into play first the surface is planed then the wood is carefully rubbed with the leaf of a muku tree a kind of film because the leaf is slightly abrasive it acts like sandpaper on the surface of the mulberry and this is the result a deep and dazzling amber gleam emerges [Music] here is a superb table made of premium Japanese mulberry the undulating pattern in the wood grain formed over many decades causes light and dark to shift like a flickering flame it all depends on how the light hits it from the maker of the piece to its owner traditional Japanese joinery shares the gift of woods inherent appeal in the best possible way in addition to felling wild timber and putting it to use in Japan there's also much active planting of trees for future forestry and one of the species that's most cultivated in this way is paulownia this is a piece of paulownia here not that I would have recognized it in this state if I hadn't been told but it's a particularly light wood both in color and in weight Apollonia is much prized for its use in chests of drawers and boxes intended for storing precious items next we're going to take a look at the history and significance of chests made of paulownia camel city in Niigata Prefecture surrounded by forested mountains it has long enjoyed a prosperous you it represents her best wishes for her happiness [Music] if a paulownia chest is well taken care of he can stay in use for 100 years takashi kimura represents the third generation in his family to have made and restored chests of drawers no nails are used in making a traditional fall our chest of drawers so once the hardware fittings have been removed the entire piece can simply be plain to get rid of the discolored surface and make the wood look as pale and good as new like to keep looking after paulownia as a treasure of camo city I want to keep it in use as if I can in addition to repairs KOA Barra also remodelers chests of drawers here is a paulownia chest that has served a family for three generations unfortunately it's too badly damaged to restore [Music] so Kuwabara re fashions the wood recovered from it to transform it into a cyborg because now nails are used in traditional Japanese joinery the wood remains largely intact and can be reused again and again in this part of Japan there's a custom that when a daughter is born the paulownia tree is planted and the wood from that tree is used to make her bridal chest of drawers the because cheap imported Pelagia has become popular and widespread few people observe the custom nowadays [Music] however since 1996 Colbert has been leading an effort to plant paulownia seedlings in the area and so far 100 trees have been planted [Music] trees are part of life in Japan and the Japanese make effective use of them and evidently Polonia chests of drawers are objects of special significance in this country okay well it's about time to wrap up now occasionally on this program you'll see me sitting like this on my knees and quite honestly it's torture but today I have a secret weapon and this is it and this - is - Sashi mano first of all slide this little piece out then you slide that out slide that out this piece tucks away in here then it slides in there [Applause] slides in there look at that compact like that you could take it anywhere with you and never ever have to suffer again I'll see you again next time [Music] [Music] next time on beginning technology plastic food samples we'll look at the craftsmanship of a unique 100 year old tradition that captured the essential appeal of any dish [Music]

Channel: Mellow In Japan

Views: 365,145

Rating: 4.8607144 out of 5

Keywords: Japanology, Sashimono Woodwork, MellowinJapan, Japan, #1Japan

Id: 5UEEz111uIM

Length: 28min 0sec (1680 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 10 2018