木工品／Wood Working
Wood Working of Kumamoto ▼
Woodworking has thrived in Kumamoto since the Edo Period thanks to the prefecture’s many forests. The Hitoyoshi-Kuma area is famous for its furniture such as chests and various woodturning items made using a lathe. Kawashiri in Kumamoto City is famous for its wooden buckets and barrels. In addition to these, inlay techniques are used in creating various sashimono (furniture made without metal nails) and also carved window transoms.
Hitoyoshi Furniture
Hitoyoshi furniture is made using just one wooden board and assembled without metal nails.The wood is joined together by interlocking teeth and wooden pegs cut by hand. Types of Hitoyoshi-style furniture includes boxes, tables, shelves, and more. They are constructed from wood with beautiful grain textures, such as elm, mulberry, and cherry.
Hikimono
Hikimono are woodworking items that have been formed by carving down a piece of wood as it rotates on an axis quickly with a sharp blade. A varnish is applied at the end to make the surface glossy, highlighting the beauty of the wood grain pattern.This woodworking technique is perfect for making various everyday items such as bowls and trays.
Magemono
Magemono are round containers whose sides are made from thin wooden boards that have been softened in boiling water and bent into shape. These containers are usually made from cedar or cypress, with glue used as an adhesive. Cherry tree bark is wound into rope and used to stitch the ends of the board together. The container is completed by attaching a bottom board and a lid. Magemono are often used as lunch boxes.
Buckets and Barrels
Japanese wooden buckets and barrels are made from cypress. They are made by leveling down part of the wood with a plane so that metal rings may be wrapped around to hold the bucket or barrel together. Glue is applied and then dried.The rings (called “taga”) may be made of bamboo or bronze.
Window Transoms
Transoms are installed between the ceiling and top of the sliding screen door frame in Japanese houses. They are meant to bring in daylight, allow for ventilation, and act as a decorative piece. Camphor, ginko, or Yakushima cedar wood is carved into the basic shape with a chisel, and then a smaller chisel is used for detailed carving. Thin boards 1-3 cm thick may be carved all the way through to make open fretwork, called “usubori,” while thicker boards 7-12 cm thick may be carved to make deep, three-dimensional reliefs, called “atsubori.”
Sashimono／Hitoyoshi Furniture／Hikimono／Magemono／Buckets and Barrels／Window Transoms／
木工品(指 物 ／人 吉 家 具 )
木工品(挽 物 )
曲 物 ／一 勝 地 曲 げ
薄い板材を熱湯などによって軟らかくし、丸く曲げて器の側面などに利用する木工品です。
材料には杉や桧がよく用いられ、接着には糊などの接着剤を用い、桜の皮を紐状にしたもので綴り合わせます。これに底板・蓋板などを取り付けて仕上げます。
桶 ・樽
かつては、竹ひごなどで輪をつくり組み合わせていましたが、今では、銅でつくった輪も使われています。
工芸家紹介（桶・樽）
※現在製作されていない工芸家も掲載しています。
【川尻桶】
杉田市次
松本邦助
片岡浩海
満崎藤一
伊津野晋
片岡直行
水谷日出喜
【桶】
加瀬川正成（八代市）
【すし桶】
福崎重政
欄 間 彫 刻
厚さ1〜3cmの板に透かし彫りをする「薄彫り」と、厚さ7〜12cmの厚板を彫り、立体的に仕上げる「厚彫り（籠彫り）」があります。
※現在は制作されていません。
工芸家紹介（欄 間 彫 刻 ）
※現在製作されていない工芸家も掲載しています。
徳永政男
