17-Sep-2024
Today, I am working on the final finish and base coating process before painting a 3-sun 12-step Japanese puzzle box. Just before painting, I will attach the ‘one-point yosegi’ and the ‘kanji characters’. The photo shows the one-point yosegi before attachment and the puzzle box with kanji characters that I am currently making.
As I wrote yesterday, in addition to the usual ‘Zen’ character, I also made a version with the “Shinobi” character this time. While the character “Shinobi” often represents ninjas, the word “Shinobi” is not represented by this single character alone in Japanese. The word “Shinobi” traditionally includes the hiragana “bi” as well (photo). The character “Shinobi” by itself is read as ‘shinobu’ and means ‘to suppress one’s emotions and endure.’ The term ‘ninja’ didn’t originally exist and is a word found in movies and novels. During the time when they actually existed, they were called ‘shinobi,’ not ‘ninja.’ So, this single character alone doesn’t represent a ‘ninja,’ but I’ve used it this time to convey its various meanings. In addition to strength, the concept of ‘endurance’ is one of the key traits of the ninja, which is why I believe this character is used.
The design of this character is printed and then applied to the surface, but the attachment process requires great attention. Since the printed material is extremely thin, even a tiny piece of dust or wood chip between it and the underlying wood can cause a bump on the surface. If you try to sand it down, the print will peel off. Therefore, I constantly blow away any dust or debris during the process to prevent anything from getting trapped. As I mentioned, the print is very thin, so it can easily be sanded off when finishing the box. That’s why I only paste it right before the base coating, after all other work on the box is completed.
Using printed designs like this to make boxes is not traditional and feels more like mass-produced products, so it’s not very favored among the craftsmen in this region. However, I continue to do it because there are customers who enjoy it. Well, I enjoy it too😂
