Japanese Puzzle Boxes

Himitsu Baku puzzle boxes are not by any means simple to make, because they depend heavily upon the presence of friction in order to work properly, and therefore require that the box is neither too tight nor too loose. As the boxes become larger and more complex, this process can become more and more difficult. If the box is too tight, then the box will not be able to open. If the box is too loose, then the person decoding the puzzle will have too easy a time to do so. The fact that wood is intrinsically unstable also makes it hard for puzzle box makers to create them.