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 Himitsu-Bako
is the formal name of the artistry referred to as the
Japanese Puzzle Box, or 'personal secret box'. Over a
century ago, talented artisans began
using various woods of the Hakone-Odawara
area in Japan to handcraft intricately designed storage
boxes. Months could pass between not only choosing a
variety of woods and letting them dry but carving them
and piecing them together. Taking the assorted flat
pieces in an array of different colors, artisans worked
masterfully complex designs. The result was a sleekly
designed piece of art that was anywhere from one inch to
one foot in length. Each box is a work unto itself with
no one box an exact copy of another.
The
intrigue of the Japanese Puzzle Box stems from the fact
that there is no lid, no closures and no seemingly
visible way to open the box. Rather, one must slide
certain pieces of the box in an exact sequence to reveal
a secret opening. The number and series of required
moves can be as small as two steps to well over one
hundred. Nowadays, it is easy to find Japanese Puzzle
Boxes in a number of designs, colors and sizes that will
open with an average of seven to ten steps. However,
boxes with a higher number of steps are also available.
The more complex the design and number of steps, the
higher the price tag will be.
When
determining the size of a puzzle box, a traditional
Japanese unit of measure called 'sun' is used. Sun
denotes length but not the width or height of a box; nor
does it indicate the size of the inside compartment. To
better understand the measurement, one sun would be
considered approximately 30.3 millimeters, or 1.22
inches. A mini puzzle box measures roughly one to one
and a half sun. Small puzzle boxes fit in the two to
three sun range. A medium box runs at four sun, a
standard at five. A box that measures six sun is large
while seven sun is considered extra large.
Because
the wood pieces used to decorate the box can be nearly
paper thin, the Japanese Puzzle Box should never be
exposed to high humidity or moisture. The lacquered or
veneered surface should be wiped down with a dry soft
cloth only.
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