Tools of Japanese carpentry (lower bench)
Dōgu-bako (Carpenter's toolbox)
The toolbox (dōgu-bako) is made by the actual carpenter, who adapts it to the size of his tools. With tools customized to fit each craftsman's body, the toolboxes also take on their own unique variations. The size of the box differs according to the need of the work or organization by the type of tool. They are characterized by their sliding lids, which make them easy to open and close.
Yari-ganna (Japanese spear plane)
Yari-ganna is a traditional Japanese plane with a curved blade, used to roughen and refine wood surfaces, and was used from the Kofun period (250-538) until the Middle Ages, hanging on until the mid-Muromachi period (1336-1573), which saw the emergence of the daiganna plane, whose blade is affixed to a block of wood. Today, this tool is still used in restoration and reconstruction projects of historic buildings. It is composed of a double-edged blade, pointy like a sword, attached to a handle that is approximately the length of an arm. It was mainly used for finishing work, after the initial rough shaping.
The technique of use involves holding the handle with both hands shoulder-width apart and pushing or pulling the tool to scrape the wood. Unlike the daiganna plane, it leaves a characteristic wavy mark on the wood's surface, similar to the ripples of water.
- Ō-ganna (Big plane)
Among flat planes, those whose blade width is greater than 3 sun (90 mm) are called ō-ganna, which literally means “big plane.”
- Hira-ganna (Finishing plane)
- Cross-section model plane
To prevent the finishing surface from becoming grainy and ensure a more precise finish, it is common to use a double-bladed plane that incorporates a retaining blade (awase-kanna). A skilled master carpenter can manage to get a perfect result with a single-blade plane, while an inexperienced professional might not get a good finish even when using a double-bladed hand plane.
Kanna-kuzu (Wood shavings)
The plane (kanna) is a tool used to level and flatten wood surfaces. They say that a craftsman's mastery is measured by the thickness of the shavings produced in this process. In Japan, carpenters compete to see who can make the thinnest shaving in a tournament called Kezurou-kai. The current record is a shavings of 2 micrometers (0.002 mm). According to historical records, in the past, carpenters used to compete to make the widest splinters using the ō-ganna (big plane). The skillfully produced shavings are so thin that they become translucent and, because they have no air layer, float immersed in water rather than on the surface.