Welcome.This site is a directly managed online-shop of OKA CRAFT. We specialize in Japanese puzzle boxes (Himitsu-Bako)!

Igeta

In many cases, the countries I export to have lower humidity than Japan. so, to prevent box trouble at the export destination, the wood used must be completely dried. I place roughly cut pieces of wood like this (photo) for weeks. This drying method is called "Igeta" in Japanese. This is because it resembles the Japanese kanji character "i" (photo). Place it in a dry and good ventilated place. The wood is already normally dry when purchased, but the amount (balance) of moisture inside the wood changes each time it is processed (cutting or scraping). Therefore, once the wood has been cut to a smaller size, it is necessary to dry it again. In particular, I have to be careful because the Himitsu-bako are made of 3mm or 4mm thin wood. The thinner the wood, the more easily it is affected by the outside air.