Japanese Yosegi Puzzle Box Pentagon

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Japanese Yosegi Puzzle Box Pentagon

id: 72

The mosaics are made from rods of different woods that are glued together and shaved perpendicularly into paper-thin slices. Difference in texture and color is achieved through the choice of different species and qualities of wood.

description

* Size: each side 3", d 2.25"
* 6 moves to open the box
* The solution is included
* Hand made in Japan

Yosegi, or yosegi-zaiku, is a type of traditional Japanese mosaic woodwork which originated in Japan’s culturally rich Edo Period. Yosegi veneers are commonly found on the outside of Japanese secret boxes (Himitsu-Bako) or puzzle boxes, but may also be used to decorate many other items such as trays, chests, photo frames and jewelry boxes.

The boxes differ in sizes and number of moves. The size is usually measured in old Japanese measurement unit called “Sun” (pronounced as “soon”). It must be noted that measurement in Sun gives you an approximate size of the box. Some well-known masters pride themselves in making unique boxes that do not follow any size guidelines. For example they may be making 4 Sun Puzzle Box which side/ sides have a variance of around ½ inch from the standard 4 Sun Puzzle Box.

The number of moves can vary from one precise move to more than a hundred moves. You can select different number of moves for your box from the product options below.

To learn more you can read full Yosegi article or explore Yosegi Making details below.

»Yosegi Making

1. Each piece of different-colored wood is planed to the proper thickness and fastened with glue to make the Yosegi pattern.

2. The layered wood is then cut into smaller pieces to fit the Yosegi-specific mold.

3. These pieces are tied together and glued into a unit pattern.

4. Then this block is cut into several slices to form a larger pattern.

5. The cut slices are then glued together again. The resulting plate is called Tanegi.

6. This plate is carefully shaved into thin sheets with a special plane. This shaved sheet is called Duku.

7. The shaved sheets are shrunk, ironed and applied to the products. To add glaze and sturdiness to the surface, a finishing coat of lacquer is applied.

This is the list of several trees used for the Yosegi preparation:
White: Spindle or Ilex macropoda Black: Aged Katsura Yellow: Picrasma quassioides, mulberry or sumac Brown: camphor and Amur maackia Purple: American walnut Blue: Japanese cucumber Red: Chinese cedar

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