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 The
Himitsu Baku means "Personal Secret Box", and
is a traditional Japanese puzzle box that was originally
designed more than 100 years ago, in 1893 in the Hakone
region in Japan. The Hakone Mountains have been renowned
for the great number of different trees that exist
there, and the Himitsu Baku Personal Secret Box takes
advantages of all of the different colors and textures
of wood that can be found in the Hakome Mountains in
order to create elaborate boxes with beautiful
hand-carved geometric patterns on each face of the box.
Not only is the Himitsu Baku puzzle box concept popular
for the puzzling entertainment that it offers, but it is
also valued as a Yosegi-Zaiku, which is a mosaic
woodwork that is usually applied to chests, boxes, trays
and other small handicrafts.
The
techniques involved in the design and creation of the
Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle box first originated during
the late Edo Period. In May of 1984, just one year
later, this marquetry technique was designated as a
National Traditional Handicraft. Hakone, at the time and
for many years after, was a relay station on the main
road to the Edo region which is now known as Tokyo.
Hakone's Yosegi-Zaiku products, especially Himitsu Baku
were developed especially to serve as souvenirs for
travelers who would cross through this area. The
geometric designs on the faces of the Himitsu Baku boxes
were made by binding together different types of wood
that had different shades and textures. These very thin
sheets of wood would be shaved off and then glued
together to create the unique designs that the Himitsu
Baku boxes are known for featuring.
Most
Japanese Himitsu Baku or Personal Secret Boxes have
difficulties that range between 4 and 66 moves, though
the most popular difficulty is the box with the
59-moves. There are also larger puzzle boxes available,
with exceptional move numbers including 78, 119, 122 and
125. These boxes were most commonly constructed by an
artisan named Yoshio Okiyama, though they are not
normally made available for purchase and therefore are
quite difficult to procure because Mr. Okiyama passed
away in 2003.
Although
there are a number of Japanese artisans who have
handcrafted these Japanese Himitsu Baku secret boxes
through the years, the most popular craftsman has been
Mr. Yoshio Okiyama, who even at eighty years old was
responsible for handling every aspect of the creation of
his personal puzzle boxes. He has become a true legend
as far as Hakone Himitsu Baku is concerned. He is
responsible for selecting his own wood, curing it by
hand, cutting it to size by hand and every other step in
the process of the creation of his world renowned
Himitsu Baku boxes. He was the grandson of one of the
first artisans ever to develop puzzle boxes in Hakone,
but he retired from making boxes and passed away in
2003. His boxes can still be found for sale in a number
of areas, though they are becoming rare and difficult to
find.
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