My First Puzzles

Cube Kumiki

I was too young to truly remember when I received my first puzzle.  In the 60's, there were a number of small wooden puzzles coming from Japan.  Not sure if my parents first got them in Japan on a trip or in Hawaii, while Dad was stationed there.  The first puzzles were a ball and a cube.  The are called kumiki puzzles, and were made of basswood or something similar.  Today they are abundant but still highly collectible.  Besides the geometric shapes, many of them are of animals, with some of my first being a dog and an elephant. I guess I had about 6 before I was 10 years old, and for the longest time that was my entire collection.  You figure, that was before the internet, before I had money and before I started my own travels of the world.  The world was small then.

The best kumiki puzzles today come from the Yamanaka Kumiki Works Inc. http://www.dento.gr.jp/yamanaka/index2.html.  Their Masters hand down the tradition through generations and the puzzles they make are excellent.  I do not really know the source of my original kumiki puzzles, but I recall endless time spent solving them and they have been prized possessions for almost 50 years. The animals and shapes may not always be considered true burrs, they represent the same concepts and the root of the dream.  I now have a few dozen of these style puzzles that I collected them later in life, and many of these kumiki puzzles are indeed burrs, , but I think my parents thought animals and geometric forms would be more enjoyable and inspirational for a young boy.  I guess they were right.

Sphere Kumiki

Today there are versions which come from other countries, mostly made of fruitwood, but some of the original types are still available.  One of the best sources is Cleverwood http://www.cleverwood.com/kumiki.htm  and Puzzle Box World http://www.puzzleboxworld.com/japanese-kumiki-puzzles.htm.  Both these sites have great histories of the  Kumiki Puzzles and the craftsmanship of Japanese joinery is work renown.

The 1st master of Yamanaka Kumiki Works was Tsunetaro Yamanaka who was born in 1874 in Odawara.  At first he studied under "Awabiya", and studied under famous master Hikotaro Kondo.  In 1897, he established the workshop making wooden box pillows and later shifted to "Kumiki".  Traditionally, "Kumiki" had comparatively simple shape such as square or round shape. which he changed the structure and form, and made the basis of today's various "Kumiki". (See the Yamanaka Kumiki Worsk Website)


These puzzles inspired generations of puzzle collectors, myself included. i wish i knew more of the history and traditions of kumiki.  One of my bucket list items is to be able to spend some time during my next trip to Japan to go to Hakone, and Kanagawa-ken which is the birthplace of kumiki puzzles, and where most of the true master artists still live and work today. Anyone wanting to help organize a trip, please count me in.