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 Although
puzzle boxes originate from a variety of countries,
those made in Japanese are among the most coveted.
In this article, we wanted to provide you with
some of the special characteristics of this special box.
Known also as the secret box or trick box, the
puzzle box is a great gift or addition to your personal
jewelry box collection.
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Yosegi-Zaiku
– Coming from the Hakone region of Japan, this type of
puzzle box creation uses a unique mosaic and inlaid
design. The
wood is also gorgeous, coming from a number of different
tree species, each coming from the Hakone Mountains of
Japan. With
this particular design, you would find a geometric
pattern. To
create this special look, woods of varying color are
bound. For
the finish, a special plane is used to remove extremely
thin layers of the wood.
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Himitsu-Bako
– The name of this puzzle box translates to “Secret
Box”, which is considered the traditional style.
In fact, this Japanese puzzle box has been
refined for more than a century in the Hakone Mountains
where its popularity has focused primarily on people
looking for souvenirs.
Interesting, today just nine master artisans from
the Hakone region produce these puzzle boxes, with the
baby of the group being a young, 60 years of age.
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Zougan
– Finally, this Japanese word translates to
“Marquetry”, which is a wonderful art form coming
from Egypt and spanning 3,000 years.
The design technique became very popular, making
its way to other countries to include Japan, India,
China, and even Persia.
Using the different types of trees, these puzzle
boxes are made in wonderful colors, on which a picture
is applied.
As
mentioned, Japanese puzzle boxes are created from trees
growing in the Hakone region of the country.
Because of this, you can enjoy a wide selection
of looks. For
instance, some of the more popular types of trees used
include the dogwood, wax, sumac, lacquer, cherry,
walnut, pagoda, persimmon, and pagoda tree
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