The Anatomy of Tategu: The Work of Traditional Japanese Joinery Revealed

Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
Until May 11
The doors and partition panels that allow movement between spaces of Japanese traditional-style buildings are called tategu. They are parts of the buildings that are in constant use, day after day, year after year. Particularly the doors of temples, shrines, and other buildings that have been designated cultural properties have been opened and closed through very long histories, Many of these tategu have been partitioning space for hundreds of years. What are the secrets of their durability?

This exhibition looks into the internal structure of such tategu panels, as seen when they are dismantled and in the techniques used to repair damaged parts and restore their function. The exhibits probe deeply into the traditional technologies used in the production of tategu, which is part of the “traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan” inscribed in 2020 on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Herein lies revealed the ordinarily unseen ingenuity and craft of the tategu artisan.

Schedule

Now in session

Mar 8 (Sat) 2025-May 11 (Sun) 2025 54 days left

Opening Hours Information

Hours
9:30-16:30
Closed
Monday
Open on a public holiday Monday but closed on the following day.
FeeAdults ¥700; University and High School Students, Seniors 65 & Over ¥500; Junior High School Students and Under, Persons with Disability Certificates + 1 Companion free.
Websitehttps://en.dougukan.jp/special_exhibition/tategu
VenueTakenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
https://www.dougukan.jp/?lang=en
Location7-5-1 Kumochi-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 651-0056
Access3 minute walk from the Central exit of JR Shin-Kobe Station, 3 minute walk from the North 2 exit of Shin-Kobe Station on the Seishin-Yamate subway line.
Phone078-242-0216
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