Today I would like to introduce to you a craft unique to Hakone, Japan - "yosegi joinery" (よせぎざいく). Hakone is located in the southwest of Kanagawa Prefecture, 90 kilometers away from Tokyo. It is Japans hot spring town and health resort.
This is a technique unique to Hakone, Japan, using wood chips to mosaic. It has been passed down for more than 200 years and is designated as a traditional wood craft by the country. The master uses the natural color differences between different woods to create geometric patterns. The woods include cherry wood, lacquer wood, Japanese lotus wood, etc.
Then, use a special plane to plane the assembled wooden blocks into thin paper, which can then be glued to various boxes, drawers, chopsticks, pen holders, jewelry, etc. Thicker pattern boards can be pasted on Decorate surfaces such as trays, small bowls, etc.
The term for the wood block just mentioned is "planting wood". The method is to cut each different wood into the same shape and size, inlay and glue them into one piece
The color is of course the color of the wood itself, completely natural
Continue to collage and combine the seeds you just made to make a "seed board". The arrangement of these boards will determine the color of the subsequent designs
Then, the master will use a special planer to painstakingly plane the "seed board" into thin paper. People can't help but be amazed by the beautiful luster!!
Finally stick it on various boxes or items.
In fact, one of the most distinctive handicrafts of "Yoseki Zaiku" is the "secret box". The secret box has no lock, but because it is full of mechanical designs, the box must be opened according to established steps.
The smaller box has 3 steps, the larger and more complicated secret box has as many as 40 or more mechanisms!
Such exquisite traditional Japanese crafts are very popular with foreigners. Although there are many shops in Hakone, fewer and fewer young people are willing to learn this kind of rough and fine work.
