Japanese Puzzle Boxes

Himitsu-Bako is the formal name of the artistry referred to as the Japanese Puzzle Box, or 'personal secret box'. Over a century ago, talented artisans began using various woods of the Hakone-Odawara area in Japan to handcraft intricately designed storage boxes. Months could pass between not only choosing a variety of woods and letting them dry but carving them and piecing them together. Taking the assorted flat pieces in an array of different colors, artisans worked masterfully complex designs. The result was a sleekly designed piece of art that was anywhere from one inch to one foot in length. Each box is a work unto itself with no one box an exact copy of another.