Boxes and Booze 7/7/18 Boxes and Booze 7/7/18

Bear Gets Ready

Yoh Kakuda makes wonderfully whimsical creations for the group, with boxes which almost always take the form of animals. For the travel theme, Yoh chose a bear who is getting ready for a trip of his own.

Boxes and Booze 5/5/18 Boxes and Booze 5/5/18

Kuchinashi (Gardenia)

Shogi, often referred to as “Japanese Chess”, dates from over five hundred years ago, around the same time that Western chess was invented.

Boxes and Booze 3/24/18 Boxes and Booze 3/24/18

Spring Night

In Japan, the frog is a common symbol of spring, perhaps due to the many species which erupt in song all throughout the rice fields this time of year.

Boxes and Booze 3/10/18 Boxes and Booze 3/10/18

Kickake

The centuries old Japanese tradition of secret box making evolved from a need for a safe place to store important documents and treasures while traveling or at home.

Boxes and Booze 2/24/18 Boxes and Booze 2/24/18

Double Box

What’s better than a single puzzle box? Why, a double dose, of course. And who better that Akio Kamei to provide this double delight.

Boxes and Booze 2/10/18 Boxes and Booze 2/10/18

Secret Heart

I’ve got a broken heart this year for Valentine’s Day. Don’t feel too bad for me, though - I’m only talking about a puzzle box.

Boxes and Booze 2/3/18 Boxes and Booze 2/3/18

Gombo

Marjariasana, anyone? No, it’s not a mind altering substance, it’s a body altering exercise – specifically, the “cat pose” known to practitioners of yoga.

Boxes and Booze 1/27/18 Boxes and Booze 1/27/18

See a star and think

The stars evoke a universal feeling of wonder and awe, and provide a common global reference point reminding us all of our humble place in the universe.

Boxes and Booze 1/13/18 Boxes and Booze 1/13/18

Coin Bank

I’m trying out my new, high tech random blog topic generator this week. It’s called, “flip a coin”. Except I can’t seem to make heads or tails of it – it’s not very specific.

Boxes and Booze 12/16/17 Boxes and Booze 12/16/17

In a Cage

Shiro Tajima, formerly of the Karakuri Creation Group, enjoys playing with simple shapes and structures in surprising, unusual and puzzling ways.

Boxes and Booze 12/2/17 Boxes and Booze 12/2/17

Solar Box

Akio Kamei’s Solar Box is a fiendish little star masquerading as an octagonal puzzle box with curving rays of frustration encircling the main compartment.

Boxes and Booze 10/28/17 Boxes and Booze 10/28/17

The Wolf from Grimm

Ready for a spooky tale of harrowing horror, just in time for Halloween? Well, I suppose this tale won’t terrify, but it is from a collection of one of the original horror stories – Grimm’s Fairytales.

Boxes and Booze 10/21/17 Boxes and Booze 10/21/17

Box with a Key

Let’s step back and admire our old friend and champion of the modern day puzzle box, Japanese master Akio Kamei.

Boxes and Booze 9/30/17 Boxes and Booze 9/30/17

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.

Boxes and Booze 8/26/17 Boxes and Booze 8/26/17

Sweet Tooth Tiger

The Japanese zodiac is divided into a twelve year cycle, with repeating blocks of years represented by a different animal. It is said that you pick up a few characteristics from the animal year you were born during.

Boxes and Booze 8/12/17 Boxes and Booze 8/12/17

Secret Book Box

This year I present the stunning “Secret Book Box” from the Karakuri Creation Group artist Hideaki Kawashima.

Boxes and Booze 6/24/17 Boxes and Booze 6/24/17

Tin Woodman

We’re off to see the wizard this week as we get slightly sentimental. Created as part of the Karakuri Creation Group’s “Story” exhibition, the Tin Woodman from Japanese artist Yoh Kakuda might just melt your heart.

Boxes and Booze 6/17/17 Boxes and Booze 6/17/17

Sheep?

he fluffy and fun “Sheep?” by Karakuri Creation Group artist Kanae Saito is notable for being one of the very few puzzle boxes she has created with the group and for its, well, fluffiness.

Boxes and Booze 5/27/17 Boxes and Booze 5/27/17

Acorn Box

A toast this week to my alma mater and the class of 1992 who are gathering back on campus for our twenty-fifth year reunion. Haverford College is a special place set in the beatific landscape of the Philadelphia suburbs on a unique arboretum campus.

Boxes and Booze 5/20/17 Boxes and Booze 5/20/17

Whisky Bottle

Happy World Whisky Day! This holiday really takes me back. All the way to Babylon and Mesopotamia in 2000 BC! Evidence of fermented, distilled grain (whisky!) exists from archaeological sites in the middle east dating all the way back to those ancient times.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles