What Are The Japanese Influences In Commercial Joinery?
When you think of Japan, there are probably a number of beautiful and interesting things that you think of, such as the silky kimono and the popular manga comics, but have you ever associated the country with a school of commercial joinery? In Japan, joinery has been used to create some amazing buildings, without the use of mechanical fasteners, which are still standing today – even after hundreds of years.
Even though Japanese commercial joinery is one of the lesser known influences on the woodworking industry as we know it today, there can be no denying the strength of the intricate joints that those joiners skilled in the school are able to create. They are able to fasten pieces of timber together using complicated cuts and joints; a process that has been developed over many years to suit each job they are suited for.
In further proof of the skill needed for Japanese commercial joinery, each cut in the timber is made by hand and without the use of power tools or any other modern equipment. If you are ever lucky enough to travel to Japan or to meet a commercial joiner who is skilled in the practice of the Japanese woodworking tradition, take the time to view some of these intricate techniques, and perhaps learn them for yourself.
In Japan, you are likely to find commercial joinery rife in the buildings that have high peaked roofs (that resemble praying hands). The joiners used trees that had a very specific curve to form these roofs, which increased their strength and created wide-open spaces beneath. Amongst all the amazement of such a creation, remind yourself that these beams aren’t even held together by screws or nails.