Japanese puzzle box artist Shiro Tajima has been inspired by the Japanese Zodiac to create a whole series of animal themed boxes over the years, and more recently, by the Japanese language itself.

Shiro Tajima, former Karakuri Creation Group artist gone solo rogue puzzle maker, created a clever animal series of puzzle boxes based on the signs of the Japanese Zodiac.

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

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

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.

Sloeing things down a bit on the puzzling side as well, I present the “Snail” box, a collaborative effort from the Karakuri Creation Group.

Shiro Tajima, a former member of the Karakuri Creation Group, has created a series of Asian zodiac themed puzzle boxes over the years. 

It’s hard to imagine how a simple wooden box can surprise you.  Most of the time, it's just a box, with a lid that comes off, just like you would expect.  But you still want to open it.  The fact that it is a box implies its opening function, and something inside you is compelled by that function.  So you try to open it, lift the lid, turn the latch, swing the hinges.