Category

Video

Mar 09
Love0

Japanese Plasterwork: History of Plaster Craft in Japan

By Clay Plaster, Japan, Video

I’m a big sucker for the series Begin Japanology / Japanology Plus. It’s a long-running TV series that dives into specific aspects of Japanese culture, hosted by the mild-mannered Peter Barakan. The premise and delivery are very simple, and there’s an episode for seemingly everything Japanese.

Recently, an episode devoted to Japanese plastering was released. It’s an informative, inspiring look at the history of plastering craft, and some of the newer work being done today.

One word: storehouses. Check it out!  

Apr 11
Love13
benito: polished clay plaster

Polished Clay Plaster How-To Video

By Resources, Video, Clay Plaster

Did you know that you can polish clay plaster so that it has a reflective mirror finish? It looks spectacular, and Benito Steen (son of Athena and Bill Steen, straw bale experts of the southwest) has a new video describing his process for achieving the effect. Benito has done a great job describing the process in clear, simple term. The video is beautiful to watch, too.

Check it out above and learn for yourself how to make a polished clay plaster finish with very simple ingredients. Hope to see more videos like this soon!

Oct 11
Love1

Clay Plaster in Japan: Inspiring Video Documentary

By Resources, Video, Clay Plaster

I was excited to find this video documentary about Japanese clay plaster as it’s currently being practiced by sakan (a.k.a., traditional plasterers). From what I gather, clay plaster is a niche craft in Japan, but the tradition has been unbroken for hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s not practiced as widely as it once was, yet the quality of the work that is done is exceptional. It’s serious business, and absolutely beautiful and inspiring too.
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Oct 13
Love0

Japanese Joinery, Animated

By Design, Woodworking, Resources, Traditional Building, Video, Carpentry, Timber Framing

 
 
Japanese craftspeople have the reputation of designing and creating some of the most intricate and complex timber joinery on the planet. The use of timbers in construction has a long and deeply fascinating history, and many of these astonishing joints have their roots in the building of temples. Historically, these techniques were fiercely guarded secrets of the carpentry guilds. (If you’re interested in Japanese joinery history and the current practice of temple restoration, check out the fascinating book The Genius of Japanese Carpentry.)

Check out this collection of beautifully simple animations of Japanese joinery in action. These are great little demonstrations of timber frame joints interlocking together.

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Jul 06
Love0

The Modern Seaweed House

By Video, Traditional Building
Modern Seaweed House Exterior

The modern seaweed house of Læsø, Denmark

Ever since I saw photos of the seaweed thatch homes of Denmark in the book Built by Hand, I’ve been captivated and wanting to learn more about these unnusual structures. Recently, I was disappointed to learn that there are only about 19 traditional seaweed homes left standing on the island of Læsø. But, my disappointment turned to enthusiasm when I learned that some architects and builders are once again rejuvenating interest in the use of seaweed in construction. In fact, there’s been one successful newly built seaweed house, inspired by a competition organized by Realdania Byg. The results are very cool.

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Nov 19
Love0

Hand Forging Axes in 1960s America: A Short Film

By Hand Tools, Resources, Video
Forging an Axe By Hand

Forging axes by hand in America in the 60s

I recently enjoyed watching this insightful video about making and forging axes in Oakland, Maine in 1965 at the Emerson Stevens shop. This particular shop was the last surviving company to produce axes in an area once known for forging and blade-making. To watch these individuals work and to witness the process is a real treat, yet the film is permeated with a certain sadness as the filmmaker realizes that we are watching something that is soon to wither away into history.

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Oct 01
Love0

Minka: Short Film about Restoring Ancient Japanese Farmhouse

By Video, Traditional Building, Resources

While on the subject of the minka, or traditional Japanese farmhouse for a hot a minute, here is a fantastic short film & documentary simply titled Minka, describing the restoration of John Roderick’s well-known home in Japan. The restoration of the ancient farmhouse was led by the young and beginner (at the time) architect Yoshihiro Takishita.

This is a fantastic short film, not for just the story of the challenging re-construction of the minka, but the beautiful friendship between John Roderick and Yoshihiro Takishita himself. Very inspiring stuff. The short synopsis says it nicely: “A film about place and memory, a farmhouse in Japan, and the lives of the people who called it home.”

 

Dec 26
Love0

John Neeman: Birth of a Tool Part III: Making Damascus Knives

By Video, Hand Tools
John Neeman Tools

Hand forging a damascus knife blade

John Neeman and company have done it again, and produced a stunning mini-documentary video about the production of a damascus knife blade, in Birth of a Tool: Part III. Damascus knives are extremely labor-intense, as they require multiple layers of different types of steel to be forged and folded repeatedly, with a minimum of at least 300 layers. The resulting blade is intensely strong, and intensely beautiful, too.

Check out the folks at John Neeman Tools hand forging these knives, and creating the leather sheath in their latest video below! Beautiful work, and excellent filmmaking, too.

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