Kumiko Woodworking: Japanese Joinery – Flower Vase (Ichirin-zashi)

A hands-on woodworking class in kumiko, the Japanese craft of assembling thin wooden pieces into intricate patterns without nails, where participants build a hanging wooden flower vase called an ichirin-zashi. The class is held at Resobox, and all kits are handcrafted by Ōminato Bunkichi Shoten, a kumiko atelier in Niigata, Japan. Students first learn what kumiko is and practice the three foundation patterns — asa-no-ha (hemp leaf), rindō (gentian), and goma (sesame) — building each in a practice frame before taking it apart. Finally, they design their own arrangement inside the flower vase, which has a clear acrylic back that doubles as a display stand, and take it home; no experience is necessary.