The Art of Japanese Joinery

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Figure 2.57. Blade damage. 'NOTE: Rationale This narrow flat surface at the cutting edge should not Though there is greater utilization of steel and reinforced concrete in modern structures, wood construction remains among the most important, maintaining its long tradition in Japanese architecture. Regretfully however, with the passing of time, the splendid tradi¬ tion of Japanese wood construction has become stagnant and is losing its driving force. Though it is essential for architects and builders to understand traditional Japanese wood construction, texts on the subject are woefully limited. This could be due to the dif¬ ficulties of describing and illustrating the actual woodwork, but there are other limiting fac¬ tors as well. In many cases, a wood member serves a dual purpose as a structural member and as a finished decorative piece. Also, different methods are used in each school, such as the Kennin Temple sect, Shintennoji sect, and Kyoto sect. Moreover, different methods are stressed even within the same school by such master carpenters as Hiruuchi, Kira, Kiuchi, and Tsuru. Then, there are alterations in detailing methods brought about by changes in the style of periods such as the Asuka [ca 700 A.D. - 800 A.D.], Momoyama [ca. 1550 A.D.-1600 A.D.], and Edo [ca. 1600 A.D.-1860 A.D.] periods. There are further dif¬ ferences in technique in styles such as the Karaya [Chinese style], Tenjikuyo [Indian style], Wayo [Japanese style], Shoinzukuri [study room style], Sukiyazukuri [free style], and the Chashitsu [tea room style]. Lastly, there are regional differences on such things as uchinori [inside face], tatami [straw mat], and kiwari [proportion]. It is not an easy task to incorporate all these conditions. This book was written using my own practical experience combined with information from available resources, and from documents on various methods of wood construction compiled during the time I was teaching at the Occupational Training Center.

Used for rough rip-cutting large pieces of lumber or trees. Used for rough crosscutting large pieces of lumber or trees. hafu facia on their roofs. They installed a piece which was narrower and straighter and called it taruki kei facia. Taruki kei facia has a depth twice that of the common rafter, and a width equal to that of the rafter. It is joined to the noki keta beam with an oiire ariotoshi joint and to the moya beam with a ladle shaped tenon. Another method for determining the size is to take .05-.06 of its length for the depth, and allow the top and bottom width to be Vz of the depth. urn:lcp:completejapanese0000unse:epub:3bf5ddfb-98b1-4847-af91-73cba1932239 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier completejapanese0000unse Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t6k15hn91 Invoice 1652 Isbn 0881791210 APPENDIX 2 The Okane—Large Carpenter’s Square (a) Before beginning the foundation work in the construction of a building, the leveling and setting up of the batter boards have to be done. For these jobs, the squareness and level¬ ness of a structure are obtained using either the levels or the okane. Establishing square¬ ness with the okane is called “3:4:5 no hi”, or “43 wo furu” (“shake the 43"). This method utilizes the geometric relationships of a triangle with legs 3:4:5.Making the top surface the peak, slope to equal the slope of the crown on the hip rafter. The depth 2-4 giving greater resistance to the cutting. This is called crosscutting. Saw teeth are made ei¬ ther for ripping or for crosscutting, and are shaped accordingly. The tips of both types of teeth flare outward slightly so that‘the cutting surface of the saw is wider than its body, thereby preventing binding. (See Figures 2.15 and 2.16.)

The Complete Japanese Joinery , a compendium of traditional joints and their schematics, explains how shiho kama tsugi is commonly found at the columns of shrines and temples throughout Japan. This hints at how Japanese joinery techniques have spread throughout the various forms of carpentry in the country, scaled up and down according to each tradition’s needs. Horyu-ji: the oldest wooden building in the worldHan tome: Half stop. Shoulder miter joint. Hari: A style of ceiling. Hariuke kanamono: Beam receiving metal things. Beam hangers. Turn piece over and repeat same procedure until a hole is through from bottom to top in center of mortise. The Ink Marker (Sumisashi) The ink marker (Figure 4.2) functions as either pencil or brush. The pointed end is used for marking grid letters, while lines are drawn with the split end. Sumisashi are made from dried bamboo stalks cut into 10 inch lengths, and widths of about one inch, then shaped until they are comfortable to hold. Next, the bamboo is soaked in water until it is saturated, at which time it is split. The interior surface, which is pithy and soft, is removed. (With bamboo, the absolute exterior is the hardest.) The line-drawing end is split with a chisel (hira nomi) or razor at intervals of 1/16 to 1/32 inch, to a depth of about 2 inches (Figure 4.3). Then, it is tapered to a sharp edge, using a chisel. The head has a final width of about 2 inches. The tip is pounded with a hammer to form bristles like a brush, as shown in Figure 4.4. *To get a superfine line, Dacron® sail thread is ideal. Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Old_pallet IA16885 Openlibrary_edition There are around 30 basic joints used for this purpose and many of which are used in combination. Like the Kanawa-tsugi is a combination of half-blind tenoned, dadoed, and rabbeted scarf joints. Beginner Japanese Joinery Projects

As shown in Figure 5.1, the piece to be cut is steadied by the left hand, and the cut line it¬ self is set in front of the right hand. When sawing small pieces a work table is used, while larger pieces such as framing members are cut on saw horses. Thus the height at which the lumber is cut will vary, but the pulling force is more easily applied at a lower position. When using a saw on a work table, the wood is held firmly in place with the left hand, and the saw is pulled with the right hand. Large pieces are cut by securing them with the left foot and pull¬ ing the saw with both hands. shown in Figure 5.24(8). Take special-care as to the amount of cut line to remove since this will affect the fit of the connection when the members are assembled. Now mark another square around the small square that you will be carving out. This square will be around three to four times bigger than the smaller square. You will also mark a 45-degree line from the corner of the square to the corner of the wood. This will be needed to cut at this angle using a handsaw. Step 2: Carving out the Dowel Hole Normally, this is % of the hafu facia’s width, but when decorations are added, it should be about l to 7/0 of the hafu facia's width. Kabuto ari (end lap joint with dovetail joint): A right angle joint used on various types of beams, including do sashi beams and mudsills. (5) Eriwa kone hozo sashi wari kusabi uchi (collared haunch mortise and tenon joint with a wedge): A right angle joint for the outside corners of a mudsill. (6) Sumidome hozo sashi: A right angle joint used in the same way as the one above, ex¬ cept that it is of higher quality.Cut along line B with a crosscut saw: on either side to intersect lines C and D; on bottom to intersect line A. Hame komi: A dado joint. Hana garami: Entangled noses. A type of facia. Hanagi: Nose wood. A type of beam. Hanakakushi: Hide nose. A type of facia. Hanamashi: Increase nose. Set the depth in direct relation to the size of a notch to receive the kayaoi facia. Chisel out diagonally marked portion from C to B. Then make a rip saw kerf at E and finish chiselling out the notch to line F.

G Gangi gane: Large metal. (Kane is the correct pronun¬ ciation when alone; gane is correct when following another word.) A special carpenter’s square.Make kerfs with a rip saw along lines A and F to line G, on both sides of the dovetail. With a crosscut saw, make kerfs on both sides along line G to intersect lines A and F. ii) Construction sequence: Begin by planing the boards. The edges (sides) of the boards should be planed straight. Next, mark a center line on each board with the chalk line as shown in Appendix Figure 2. Place the boards on flat ground, the 6 ft. boards placed per¬ pendicular to each other, and the 10 ft. board to be placed diagonally, forming a triangle. The distances between the intersecting points of the center lines should be in a ratio of 3:4:5, as shown. When the boards are arranged in this ratio, secure them with at least 4 nails at each point.