14-Aug-2024
In Japan, we are currently in the midst of the “Obon holiday,” during which many companies or workshops are closed. Obon is a traditional Japanese custom, typically observed from August 13th to 16th. During this period, we take time off work to gather with family and honor our ancestors. It is believed in Japan that the spirits of our deceased ancestors and family members return to the living world during this time.
However, today I am continuing my work on making puzzle boxes😅 By the way, my family already held our Obon observance in mid-July. Originally, Obon in Japan was observed old calendar of Japan around 15th July (until 1872). It seems that some regions still observe Obon during this time in July.
anyway, today I am working on the movement panels (Aruki) for an 18-step Mame Japanese puzzle box (himitsu-bako). Currently, the 18-step box is the most complex one among my Mame puzzle box series.
As some of you may know, I previously have made the 22-step mame himitsubako. While I was working on it, a woodworker from overseas once told me, “I can make a 30-step mame himitsubako!” He even showed me pictures of it.
Unfortunately, In the photos, I couldn’t verify how smoothly his himitsubako actually moved. When it comes to creating himitsubako, simply increasing the number of moves isn’t enough; the goal is to ensure that the movements are smooth—neither too tight nor too loose—allowing the box to function perfectly as a puzzle. However, I truly admire his intricate craftsmanship and the challenge he undertook.
And this is also very important: if a Himitsu-bako craftsman creates 50 or 100 pieces of the 30-step mame himitsubako, all of them must move just as smoothly as the first one. If I were to make just one (or even up to about 10 pcs.), I could probably create the Mame box with 38 or even 42 steps. However, we need to produce 100 of these boxes and sell them in markets like Hakone, Japan. In such cases, it’s challenging to deliver 100 mame boxes with 42 steps that all function reliably. Additionally, the mechanism can be too delicate, which may cause issues depending on how the shop or customers store the boxes. Therefore, I decided to stop producing the 22-step box as a precaution, and I have set the 18-step mame box as the maximum for stable production.
Still, I’ve been struggling a bit with the 18-step mame box lately due to my “presbyopia”~www🤣
