People have been doing woodwork for as long as they’ve had both tools and trees to do it with. Ever since people started using tools, they’ve also been using trees and turning them into things that are useful to human beings. At first, these things were simple things like cups and spears, but as time went on, people began to use wood for more advanced things like beds, bookcases and even entire houses. And Japan, as one of the oldest countries in the world, has a beautiful and rich history of Japanese woodworking to showcase.
Even the tools currently used in Japanese woodworking are some of the most advanced types of tools in the world. These tools include, amongst other advanced mechanical tools, things like planes, hammers, chisels, spoke shaves, scarpers, axe, marking knives, spear pines and adzes. These tools are all known for having extremely sharp edges that make cutting through wood much easier; even the hand saws come in all shapes and sizes so there is always a tool that’s perfect for a typical job. 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 has infiltrated Japanese culture so completely that even houses are constructed based on some of its principles. For instance, since most Japanese woodwork includes building things like shelves and other storage spaces like closets directly into the walls so there is no furniture sticking out, very little furniture is needed in a typical Japanese household. However, there are some classes of Japanese furniture that are famous all over the world: the tansu class and the nagamochi classes of furniture. Furniture included in the tansu class includes things like bolted-door chests, other simple chests and even things like chests-on-chests that look like steps; all of these things are designed to save space in a house. The nagamochi class of furniture, meanwhile, encompasses things like box-like pieces made in a huge variety of spaces and trunks. There are other types of Japanese woodwork furniture that is constructed with purely ceremonial purposes; for instance, shelves with doors are made for displaying scrolls or for 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. Most Japanese woodworkers are perfectionists as well. They are meticulous in their work and some furniture can take weeks and even months to construct right.
No related posts.