A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
Pineapple Secret
Hiroshi Iwahara’s Pineapple Secret is one of the most strikingly beautiful pieces he has created and is an incredible achievement from this master of the Karakuri Creation Group.
Super-Cubi (Trinary Box)
Hiroshi Iwahara is one of the well-known and highly respected artisans from the Karakuri Creation Group who has designed and produced well over fifty individual puzzle boxes with the group.
Shrinking Box
The idea of a box which needs to literally shrink in order to open is simply fascinating to me, and apparently to Hiroshi Iwahara, who designed it, and Tatsuo Miyamoto, who crafted it, as well.
Two-Dimensional Secret Box
One of the Japanese Karakuri Creation Group artists who has delighted in pushing the boundaries of what is possible is Hiroshi Iwahara.
Byways Secret
One of the most prolific and creative modern puzzle box artists from the Karakuri Creation Group, Hiroshi Iwahara, decided he would turn the tradition inside out with his “Byways Secret” box set.
The Box with a Tree
Another one of Iwahara’s famous creations is his “Box with a Tree” which won an “Honorable Mention” prize in the 2006 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition. This unassuming little box appears to be a rather plain wooden box, originally crafted in walnut, with a small silhouette of a tree in the lower corner.
Secret Base
Would you like to hear a secret? Who doesn’t like to be in on a good secret? Mysteries, codes, hidden treasures, all excite because in part they hold a secret which we might be able to access, if we are clever enough. The allure of the puzzle box relies on the secret, on knowing there is a hidden way in, and on finding it if we can.
Byways Secret
Today I present a box which at first appears to conform to the “standard” moves found in traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, but holds a secret (!) which turns the convention inside out.