Takishita's celebration of shiguchi-the unusually hidden joinery that holds together great traditional Japanese structures - inspires and enthralls us! The shiguchi capture the aesthetic and technical essence of the craftmanship of the Japanese carpenters and woodworkers who built the rural and urban dwellings of the pre-modern Japanese landscape. Their power commands awe and respect, and they remind us how much we have to learn from the past! - Peter Grilli, Former President, Japan Society of Boston
Edgar Degas, the famous French painter and sculptor once said: "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." And here they stood, the gods Iznami and Izanagi who created Japan. I had just been visiting Awaji, the island of the gods, when I arrived at my lifelong friend Yoshihiro Takishita's home in his old minkas in Kamakura. He had a surprise in store. Two wooden figures of Izanami and Izanagi as if they had just come to life again in old wood slightly carved with the original old tools in the tradition of shiguchi. Discarded wood left over in the process of creating minkas. Ancient, weather-beaten wood talking to you, as do the forests of Japan when you are walking there. Through thousands of years' history. With his collection of shiguchi and this book, Yoshi passes on their message to us. Do not destroy nature. - Tor Tolstrip, Former Editor in Chief, Jyllands-Posten, Denmark
The Art of Shiguchi - ostensibly about the joining of pillars, beams and other materials in ancient Japanese farmhouses - succeeds brilliantly in capturing a nation's heart, soul, and history. The stunning color plates show how timeless technology has been used for the benefit of art and culture, creating a set of values that lifts the human spirit. - Norman Pearlstine, Time Inc. Chief Content Officer
Minka are sadly disappearing from the Japanese countryside. Takishita-san and his friends have worked hard to preserve these wonderful buildings and the craft and artistry of their construction. This book reminds us that without the traditional Japanese skills in joinery, carpentry and cabinet-making, minka could not have been built and preserved. These skills have indeed been developed in Japan into a fine art. - Sir Hugh Cortazzi, Former British Ambassador to Japan and prolific author about Japan and its history