Repairing a 100 Year Old Japanese House - Traditional Japanese Carpentry

Repairing a 100 Year Old Japanese House - Traditional Japanese Carpentry

We are in Kamakura, Japan in this video. We are working on repairing a 100 year old house with a thatched roof (Kayabuki). First, we have to work on repairing the foundation before other repairs can be done. Due to decades of weathering and water intrusion this house has suffered from rotting pillars and foundation beams. We are systematically and carefully repairing pillars with new Hinoki connections called Netsugi. This is a vertically installed Kanawatsugi joint. Other joints are used in the process of repairing this house such as Obiki, Okakedaisentsugi, and others.

This process is difficult requiring a solid understanding and ability to carve the joints vertically and in place.
#woodworking #japanesewoodworking #carpentrylife
Videographers and Editing:
Kaori / Garrett

Equipment Used:
Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark iii (4k)
Olympus OMD EM-5 Mark iii (4k)
Rode VideoMicro (Audio)
Rode VideoMic NTG (Audio)

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[pmrich]

The care taken too repair and preserve this home is a joy to see.
The respect for the original work is obvious.

[k.]

Thank you for sharing.. I read that a hundred years ago houses here in my country would also splice the bottom parts of the beams to repair it. Since we use a certain type of hardwood for the pillars and beams and this was expensive some would only use this wood in the bottom joined with a much more affordable hardwood at the top. I'm glad such work is still evident and alive in Japan.

[jayq]

I moved to Japan 2 years ago and have 30 years construction experience in the states. I have become extremely interested in renovating old houses here and learning the building techniques.

[DanielJoyce]

That old house will look amazing when done. Glad they are saving it.

[adamallen]

This is awesome. I love your videos.
I wish I was a skilled ‘sukiya daiku’ instead I’m just a westernised carpenter from Australia that uses glues, screws nail guns and cordless saws🤦‍♂️
Respect to the real craftsmen in Japan❤️

[denisstrijbosch]

Thank you for making and sharing this, so interesting to see.

[badcat]

Cool ! i learned a new trick from the lead carpenter 5:22 with using a small wedge / I used to use tape from time to time
but a wedge is much faster and re usable too ! 👍😉 thanks to you both 😇

[NRV]

This joinery is already so complicated and precise, add to that doing the work in place, rather than in a workshop on a bench; I cant imagine

[leemelbourne]

The no-nails style construction is amazing.

[早瀬勉]

the groove on the hashira is also a really good visual guide when you are plastering as it tells you where to end the wall and helps you plaster straighter

[rogercarroll]

Beautiful photographic composition. Love this.

[Popcorncedar]

Don’t stand on top of ladders.

Super great work though. Beautiful.

[chuckkiezulas]

Wow!! Unsafe working conditions!! That man on the ladder!!

[akiyajapan]

This is one of the main things my kominka needs done. I haven't found anyone local yet who can help with it. Thanks for sharing! Very useful to see it being done!

[ShullMark]

I wonder if they might have cut the groove in the outside hashira using a special dado plane. It would seem very hard to do with a tsuki nomi. Really great videos!

[daichimax]

It's a challenging approach and a deep commitment to being a Japanese Carpenter! がんばって!!! Thumb Up & Subscribed!

[Ferreira]

Makes me want to have a bespoke house using the same techniques. Because it's all made of natural materials, there is no need for a building permit in my country, which would save a lot of hassle. Buy the land and have it built. I heard someone saying that concrete is rated for 50 years, which I find to be too short of a life span as there are buildings in my hometown that are older than that and I cannot see any structural damage. However, a wooden house needing repair after 100 years, and being possible to have it done is more than enough to convince me. These houses are also thermally efficient, which reduces the carbon footprint and lowers the electricity bill.

The dedication and attention to detail are impressive, to say the least. It is not a cheap process due to the rarity of finding carpenters who master the required skillset, but looking at some of the examples, the joy of living in such a place has will be worth the spending. And I will also bet that the structure will be much quieter when walking around the house. It's the one thing that bugs me, squeaky floors. You wake up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, and everyone wakes up with you at the sound of that annoying noise.

[liamkisbee]

That construction method is very similar to tudor era english buildings. Its called wattle and daub in britain. Woven sticks and wooden studs, rendered over with lime mortar and horse hair, built into a Ornate Oak timber frame and then painted white and the timbers black (tar) to prevent rotting. All built on a stone or brick base many still stand today some over 400-500 years old. Cool to see the japanese building in that sort of style.

[randallcrisp]

Honestly, this is one of my favourite channels.

[theman]

I cant imagine how human do woodwork in ancient times with no power tool.