Kigumi Museum — Attraction in Tokyo

This has been on my wishlist of places to visit for close to a year, but I was never in Tokyo on a weekday. Absolutely worth it, one of the top three museums I've been to in Tokyo. A must see for anyone interested in carpentry, joinery, traditional architecture or even types of trees.

There was a lot of hands on stuff, you could take apart all the joins and see the relationship between the simple and the complex ones. They had a line up of a simple rotating joint and a simple dovetail as a way of illustrating how the two combined to form illusory curved blind dovetails.

They also showed an arrangement of small toys using the same techniques, which you can try to take apart. This includes a three step puzzle box with the shaved parquet veneer.

In the second room there is a lot of stuff related to auxiliary construction practices and woodworking. The process of constructing a wattle and daub wall. Traditional door fittings and hardware, Oni faced metal post ends, a model showing how copper roofing is out together, a traditional lock that they showed me how to use, a long board showing all the different stages in making a finished lacquer product.

Something I didn't pay much attention to, but I'm sure will interest many people are the wood flitches, and tree cross sections. Every single variety of useful wood in Japan is on display as both a panel and a log. You can feel the texture, look at the grain. Excellent resource for interior design.

It was a lot of fun, definitely worth the wait. The owner established it to help promote interest in Japanese joinery and construction methods. I sincerely hope that it works, I'd love to see more of this type of thing...

Amazing. Most exhibits are completely hands on (almost like a puzzle). English speakers: please don’t miss out by letting a language difference prevent you from exploring this incredible place. The owner provided a pamphlet in English, and while conversation might be limited, the experience here will only make you curious to learn more. ☺️

Also, the owner was kind beyond words. He proactively recommended resources in English and told us where to find them. Truly he is dedicated to educating the next generation and deserves every ounce of respect from visitors.

It is located on the third floor (there is are stairs and an elevator). There are a bunch of samples of trees and types of wood leading up to the stairs. There are two main rooms, one room in particular is filled with hands-on exhibits. The second room has tons of resources and models that pay tribute and respect to other aspects of building and construction (lacquer, metalwork, roofing, plaster, etc). Stepping into this place and slowing down will make you pause and consider the true scale and ingenuity of any traditional architecture you may encounter.

Thank you for the treat of a visit today! Words are not enough, but we will endeavor to learn more!...

This is simply a must-visit for anyone remotely interested in woodworking or Japanese joinery. This museum is almost entirely hands-on, and gives you a rare opportunity to disassemble and reassemble some very intricate types of joints. Having only previously seen these types of joints in photos and videos, it

The director is clearly very passionate about preserving the history of woodworking, and while he doesn't speak much English I wouldn't hesitate to ask him questions. There was one joint in particular that we just could not figure out, and I'm glad we asked about it. He was able to bring out a small model of it, and show the incredible process of assembling the joint (and explaining why it could no longer be disassembled).

There are models showing different steps in the creation of temples, and will give you amazing insight into how you view Japanese architecture in the future.

Most everything has some brief English name or description, but google translate can help you out with the rest.

Cannot recommend this...