traditional woodcraft cultural exchange to Japan

I am feeling very honoured to have been invited to take part in a very special cultural exchange involving traditional woodworkers from Japan and Europe. A small select group of traditional woodworkers from Germany, Sweden, Belgium and the UK will travel to Japan in August and work with alongside traditional Japanese woodworkers to build two small buildings, one a traditional…

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sharing skills in Germany

I have finally sorted the pictures from my trip to Germany a couple of weeks ago. We stayed with Michail and Katy Schutte greenwoodworkers, spent time exchanging skills and touring local sites looking at arts and crafts and generally being inspired. Michail is an incredibly competent greenwoodworker with many skills only one of which is a growing competence at turning…

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a new japanese carpenters axe

Yesterday I received a very exciting parcel through the post, my German Friend Hannes after his carpentry apprenticeship spent his journeyman time working in Japan with traditional temple builders. When he helped me build our timber framed logstore I coveted his beautiful Japanese tools and in particular a gorgeous carpenters axe. Hannes has just been back out to Japan and…

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Kesurokai

I was just discussing axe design and use with folk on the British Blades forum and was reminded of one of the most wonderful exhibitions of woodworking skill I have seen. In 2005 I attended the first european “kesurokai”. This was an event inspired by a German carpenter journeyman spending time working with Japanese temple builders. In Japan the carpenters…

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