Craving an experience that marries artistry and tradition? Then you’re in the right place. Welcome to the Kigumi Museum. Here, the spotlight shines on one of Japan’s most distinctive crafts. It is called kigumi.
Kigumi is a Japanese wood joinery technique. It dates back to the seventh century. This craftsmanship involves complicated interlocking wooden joints. These joints form bonds without nails or screws. No adhesives are used at all.
The Kigumi Museum opened its doors in 2015. It has two separate installation rooms. These rooms showcase the history and techniques of kigumi. Most exhibits are hands-on. Visitors can touch, feel, and even assemble some wooden joints.
Kazuo Tanikawa is the founder and director of the Kigumi Museum. He worked for a construction company for many years. He helped build traditional shrines, temples, and tea-ceremony houses.
Kigumi techniques are mainly divided into two types. Tsugite connects wood pieces vertically. Shiguchi joins them at a right angle or diagonally. There are around 4,000 different techniques in total.
The museum exhibits samples of about 40 typical kigumi techniques. Visitors can deepen their understanding by assembling and disassembling the pieces. One exhibit stands out. It is a 2.3-meter-high wooden model. It shows the West Pagoda of Yakushiji temple in Nara Prefecture. The model uses a technique called masugumi. It shows how masugumi structures support the roof of the lowest level of the pagoda.
Hiroaki Hatta crafted the exhibit. He is a master carpenter. He worked on the reconstruction of the West Pagoda. Tsunekazu Nishioka once called him “the last temple and shrine carpenter.”
Visitors can also learn about other traditional techniques. These include carvings and onigawara tiles. They can examine related materials and tools. A model of a tea house for export is also on display.
The Kigumi Museum is small but captivating. It offers a look at this often-overlooked craft. Most exhibit captions are in Japanese. But there is an English pamphlet. Most exhibits are self-explanatory.
Traditional Japanese wooden architecture is the museum’s focus. It emphasizes wood joinery. This is the art of building with interlocking wooden joints. No nails or screws are used. Visitors are encouraged to touch the exhibits. They can explore wooden joints by taking them apart. Then, they put them back together again.
The biggest exhibit is a three-quarter-size model. It is a section of the West Pagoda of Yakushiji Temple in Nara. It was originally built in the year 730. The rest of the room is full of wooden joints. Staff enthusiastically demonstrate them. You can inspect wood types. See sample swatches and actual logs.
The second room covers more general aspects of wooden construction. Exhibits show carpenter tools, traditional nails, and plastering techniques. Ornamental carving and metalwork are on display too. There’s a small model of a tea-ceremony building. Also, see a nice onigawara. It is a goblin-faced decorative roof tile. Temples and shrines have used them since the twelfth century.
The museum is open only three days a week. These days are Tuesday through Thursday. It is also open the first Saturday of each month. Admission is free.
Before we move on, take a moment to appreciate the dedication to preserving this ancient art form. The Kigumi Museum isn’t just a place to look. It is a place to experience the ingenuity and beauty of Japanese woodworking.