Japan House London Announces The Craft of Carpentry: Drawing Life from Japan's Forests

12 March 2025 – 6 July 2025 

• With forest covering two-thirds of the Japanese archipelago, Japan's celebrated carpentry culture is rooted in a profound respect for nature and trees.
• The exhibition focuses on three core aspects of Japanese carpentry: Dōmiya daiku (temple and shrine carpenters); sukiya daiku (teahouse carpenters); and kigumi (wood joinery).
• The exhibition uncovers more than 1,000 years of the woodworking technique that have enabled temples and shrines to withstand centuries of wind, snow and earthquakes.
• Visitors can see a full-scale teahouse and discover the ingenuity of its design, as well as experience different types of native Japanese trees through smell.
• Discover the history of ceremonies, little-known outside Japan, conducted when constructing wooden buildings.
• An interactive section allows guests a hands-on experience of kigumi structures, wood-joining without the need for nails.
• Working closely with the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kōbe, the exhibition shows the important conservation work being done in Japan that is keeping woodworking cultural heritage alive for future generations.

LONDON, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Japan House London announces its forthcoming exhibition, The Craft of Carpentry: Drawing Life from Japan's Forests, opening on 12 March 2025. The exhibition explores Japan's highly developed carpentry culture, rooted in a deep respect for nature and the forests. The revered experts of Japanese carpentry and woodcutting, daiku, have long sought harmony with the forest, advocating for environmental balance.

With thousands of years of woodworking traditions behind temple and shrine building, visitors can uncover some of the techniques used to allow these buildings to withstand centuries of wind, snow and even earthquakes. Dedicated artisans possess not only a knowledge of this essential craft, but a deep reverence for their environment, communicating with forest kami ('spirit-deities') as they gather materials. Dōmiya daiku especially demonstrate the link between nature and spirituality, as their role directly connects the material world of wood to the spiritual realm.

In contrast to the heavy dōmiya forms, sukiya architecture is known for its light, elegant aesthetic. Visitors to the exhibition can see a full-scale construction of the Sa-an tea house, originally constructed in Kyoto's Zen temple Daitoku-ji and considered an 'Important Cultural Property' of Japan, perfectly demonstrating the sophisticated techniques required to realize such a high level of delicate intricacy.

Despite the challenges of mountainous forest terrain and limited metal ore resources, Japanese carpenters have displayed remarkable innovation, pioneering world-class carpentry tools and kigumi joinery techniques characterized by their simplicity and efficiency. A display of more than 80 tools gives an insight into what it takes to build one house, while an interactive area offers visitors the chance to try their hand at assembling wooden structures using the techniques that have been employed in Japan since ancient times. 

Simon Wright, Director of Programming at Japan House, said:

 "Carpentry is essential to everyday life in Japan, even today, and is celebrated both within the country and beyond for its careful craftsmanship. Centuries of treating the raw materials of Japan's forests with respect has resulted in deep relationships between humans and trees. Environmentalism and sustainability are concepts that have been practiced by Japan's carpenters for hundreds of years.

What is important about woodworking in Japan? How is Japan's craft of carpentry seen and understood by those in Japan themselves? My hope is this exhibition answers some questions and perhaps throws up a few surprises by providing an unfiltered narrative about Japan's craft of carpentry."

This exhibition is produced in conjunction with the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kōbe, Japan. Marking its 40th Anniversary in 2024, the museum has continued to collect carpenters' tools and conserve the daiku culture which has been in danger of disappearing since the second half of the 20th century. Nishiyama Marcelo, Associate Director and Chief Curator at the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, has curated and designed the exhibition. The exhibition debuted at Japan House Los Angeles before travelling to London, and is due to appear at Japan House São Paulo in 2025.

The Japan House London Craft of Carpentry exhibition is supported by Takenaka Europe GmbH, Epson UK Ltd and Yamaha Music Europe GmbH. 

Notes to Editors

About the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum

The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum was opened in 1984 in Nakayamate, Kōbe, as the only museum of carpentry tools in Japan, with the objective to collect and conserve such disappearing tools as cultural heritage, and to pass on the knowledge and their importance to the next generation through research and exhibitions.

About Japan House London

Japan House London is a cultural destination offering the best and latest from Japan. Located on Kensington High Street, the experience is an authentic encounter with Japan, engaging and surprising even the most knowledgeable guests. Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology, it deepens the visitor's appreciation of all that Japan has to offer. Part of a global initiative, there are two other Japan Houses, one in Los Angeles and the other in São Paulo.

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