How to make Japanese wooden boxes "Kiribako"

STEP 1 Removing Acidity from Wood and Drying

Paulownia wood is left out in the rain for about 2 to 3 years to remove the scum, and then dried in a hot bath to further improve the quality of the paulownia wood. If the box is made without sufficient removal of the scum and drying process, it may crack, deform, or discolor, which will affect the finish of the box.

STEP 2 Lumbering

After removing acidity and drying, the logs are sawn into various sizes and thicknesses for processing. At this time, we sort the lumber to determine its material quality and grain.

STEP 3 Frameworking

The paulownia wood is glued together one by one with rubber pressure while tightening the frame, a process known as "Kawazuke" in Japanese. The wood is allowed to dry naturally until the glue is completely dry. This is an important process that requires veteran craftsmen to use the intuition they have cultivated over the years to determine the drying conditions.

STEP 4 Tightening of the top and bottom boards　

This is the process of attaching the lid and bottom to the framework just before the glue dries completely. Craftsmen check the tightening timing, strength, and other details with their own eyes as they carefully finish the work without gaps.

STEP 5 Finising

After the bottom of the lid is completely dry, the box is placed in a machine with large teeth called a disk, and the surface is shaved and prepared, and then the surface is finished beautifully with a sandpaper.

Please refer to how to order and contact us via our cotact form.