Traditional Japanese Carpentry – Chouna (Adze) and Ono (Axe) Lesson
In this video, we go to Gifu, Japan where we visit Mr. Araki who offered to teach young carpenters a traditional Japanese woodworking technique using two useful tools. We used the Chouna (or Adze) which is a very sharp cupped bladed tool that takes divets of wood from the surface. This tool comes in a variety of types, we used several different types of Chouna while we were there. Some are used for finishing surfaces of wood for decorative purposes and some are for flattening boards to make them useful for carpentry work. The second tool we used was the Ono which is a Japanese axe that was used long ago by carpenters who had to remove the bark from trees to prevent the timber from rotting and help them dry easier. In this part of Japan, the Ono is called a Yoki and it is used to remove the bark from timber and also make straight cuts. Long ago, trees were felled in the forest and then a Yoki was used to remove the bark so that they can be transported back to the carpenter’s shop. This was a lot of heavy work.
For 3 days the carpenters from the Fujimoto Traditional Carpentry Company labored away at the freshly felled trees in preparation for naturally drying them for a year. The work was very rewarding in the end. It was nice to see the finished products of this difficult work. It brought a perspective of what life was like back then. Also, in this video, you will see some of my coworkers that I have been working with for the past year. These young carpenters have given me an opportunity to work side by side with them to learn as much as I can about Japanese traditional carpentry.
Special Thanks to:
Mr. Araki
Fujimoto Traditional Carpentry Company
#woodworking #japanesewoodworking #carpentrylife
Videographers:
K. Yamashita / G. Leopardi
Video Editing:
K. Yamashita
Equipment Used:
Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark iii (4k)
Sony ZV Log Camera (4k)
18 Comments
I've watched a few of your videos, awesome work! Professionally well made and interesting conversations! Thank you for letting us see how this is done by hand, it really gives an appreciation of the hard work that goes into it ^ ^
Dear Yamashita… who is G.leopardi? is he a Italian?
Super video.
Thanks from france
Interesting, the things I’ve read so far has described the daisugi as slender.
This thickness is enough for minimum saw log size it looked like.
How long between harvests? I’ve seen conflicting information.
Some reports saying a grandfather will plant the trees for their grandkids.
Their kids will trim up the daisugi
And the kids of them will harvest it.
That to me implied a 60-80 year rotation.
But many other accounts say 20 years between harvests.
These videos are very interesting. Reminds me of the NHK documentaries you find now and then, but more personal. Good info, interesting techniques explained for fellow woodworkers. Thanks!
Thanks 🙏
Does anyone know what the tool is called that is like a knife on a long handle that is used like a plane to shave wood to a fine finish?
I live in Saipan. How can I contact you?
Where can we get one? I have been looking and looking. No authentic chounas online other than a few old and rotten ones on ebay.
thanks for sharing! your videos are always rich in content and serve as supplementary info on japanese carpentry books im reading. very much appreciated brother!
It is nice to see the younger generations doing something there ancestors did and keeping the tradition going 😀😀😀👍
How cool is it that that one guy saw them on Instagram and liked how friendly they seemed and wanted to get a job with them. Having a workplace with a good attitude of camaraderie is very attractive now a days. I can’t imagine a work environment here in New York on Long Island where a workplace like that could exist. Everything is pure animosity here.
I really like the opportunity to hear from the individuals. Very good video. Thank you.
I ordered some Hinoki from an Etsy seller there in Japan once to make bath stools for one of MY Etsy Customers…I wish I could show you a picture of the bath stools because the wood is one of the most beautiful white woods I've ever worked with. I liked it so much that I used the extra wood to make a bath stool for myself. I showed my process on my YouTube channel. I use modern methods but I make more traditional styles. I'm really enjoying your content and I wish I'd found it sooner.
Never could have imagined an adze like that! Very interesting to see.
Hello, great work with your videos and content. I'm near the Tokyo area and was wondering if you can reccomend a good place to buy hinoki wood. I want to build a soaker tub. Thanks in advance.
Hi "The carpentry life" i got a qeustion about those hooks holding the beams steady what are they called and where can i get those??
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Very interesting
I’ve been a carpenter for 33 years now
This type of construction work would be super cool to do
Question: the trees/logs they were facing, is it a type of cedar?