Art Of Japanese Joinery (Paperback)

by Kiyosi Seike (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This lively introduction to Japanese joinery not only delves lovingly into the unique history and development of Japanese carpentry, but also reveals many secrets of Japanese joinery. Presenting 48 joints, selected from among the several hundred known and used today, this visually exciting book will please anyone who has ever been moved by the sheer beauty of wood. With the clear isometric projections complementing the 64 pages of stunning photographs, even the weekend carpenter can duplicate these bequests from the traditional Japanese carpenter, which can be applied to projects as large as the buildings for which most of them were originally devised or to projects as small as a sewing box.

Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Weatherhill (June 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0834815168
• ISBN-13: 978-0834815162
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,095 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #52 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Structural
  #59 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Carpentry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great art - not a howto book, October 26, 2006

By	Iain Lowe (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The photographs and many diagrams in this book (most of the book in fact is gorgeous glossy photos of the different joints described) expose and beautifully illustrate the Japanese people's many intricate forms of joinery. The author explains the basic concept behind each joint but does not provide details on how to make the cuts that form it. The joints illustrated here are those most commonly used by Japanese "carpenters" and provide an excellent basic overview of what the joints look like and how they fit together. Readers looking for a how-to book will prefer "The Complete Japanese Joinery" by Hideo Sato and Yasua Nakahara.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Coffee table book, October 20, 2008

By	K. Shigemitsu (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is good for a coffee table display book since it has descriptions of several various joints and nice black&white photos. But if you are planning to create the joints for yourself, you will need a different book since there are no details given about the creation of each joint.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the Art of technical craftsmanship, April 15, 2008

By	Sam Spangenberg (Whittier, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent historical and technical information.
Very well illustrated with photographs and drawings (orthographic projections).
Table of contents, no index.

This book should appeal to many individuals with a very wide range of construction interests, including architect, designer, carpenter, cabinet maker and artist. In fact Japanese woodworkers guilds, again refining ancient Chinese practices, have created a practice that is as much art as technology in designing and making both joints and the tools to create them. Information on the tools is brief but the variety alone would necessitate another complete book.

This presentation of Japanese joinery represents fully only a few (48) of the many joints created by Japanese woodworkers since 200 BC (perhaps 400 remain "common"), however each presentation includes sufficient pictorial, historical and descriptive detail to understand the incredible skills that were necessary for this evolution of useful joinery.

How serious you feel about architecture, design or cabinetry is not genuinely important to the reader of this book. All readers will acquire some new appreciation for incredible craftsmanship and a stimulated interest in the Japanese technology that remains alive in the oldest wooden structures remaining on Earth.