Craftsmanship in Wood

Does anyone know the specific course of the carpentry exams and levels and how they are conducted in Japan?
Of what I understand there are several levels of increasing difficulty. What is the content and requirements to pass these tests?

Sure, I know a bit about those exams. While some trade schools have an in-house third-level exam, the generally recognized national format is two levels. Level 2 is the easier, and level 1 is the harder.

The old level 2 exam is the subject of the very next project, the splayed leg sawhorse. It has been supplanted in recent years by this problem, which I cut in 2005:
Essentially, it's the same problem as the old level 2 - a sawhorse now placed into a roof. Less work than the old exam, IMO. I added the hiyodori-sen spline and the wedge locking the jack rafters to the plate - in the exam, one used nails there. we'll be doing this project as part of this study group - it will probably be in the first cluster of roof models.

Level 1 has seen a few versions, but is typically a problem involving a hip or valley rafter with an attached, tenoned-in skewed jack rafter. Here's the current level 1 project, which I did in 2004:
The challenging thing about the exams is not so much the technical difficulty (for there are far more difficult layout issues in Japanese carpentry than seen in the level 1 exam), it is the time frame. You are provided all materials 1mm oversize, un-backed. In 6-1/2 hours you have to make a detailed drawing of the development of the model and its parts (can't see that being done in less than 45 minutes), then layout all the wood, then plane it to dimension and square, bevel it as required, then cut all the joints and fit it together. It is the time frame that is definitely the most challenging aspect. Try it for yourself with the upcoming splayed sawhorse/table project - see if you can imagine doing the project in 6.5 hours. Most of you will take a week. Just for reference's sake, the joined hopper we just covered is the subject of a 4 hour exam (the pass criterion though is 3 hours and 20 minutes), with the joints at one end, a simpler nailed butted joint with mitered return at the other, and a nailed-on floor. How long did it take you? Think about that - and the layout drawing portion of the exam is comparatively quick and simple for the hopper.

I've taught the sawhorse, our next project, in a couple of workshops and almost no one has finished it in 5 days, working full time. Of course, chunks of time are taken up by me droning on and explaining the layout, but that's only accounting for an hour or two of each day. I can make one of those in two days (I've made lots of these and know them well), but I would have to train seriously to get my time down under 8 hours. Sometimes I do think of doing that though! You need to be able to layout and cut out at blinding speed without having to think about anything. You would need to make the subject of the exam repeatedly - and on exam day they will tell you what the slope is going to be, so you have to be ready for that.

There are also the national meet (taikai) exam topics, which vary each year and are generally technically more difficult than the level 1 exam. Not sure about the time format for those taikai problems, but I am planning to cover several of them in detail in the online study group, a little while down the line. I would love it if one day this study group evolved into having a yearly meet/get-together where we tackled a project.

~C

I could not have imagined a better or more complete answer, thank you.
Secretively I was also hoping of doing such an exams with the study group at some point. I am sure I would enjoy 'training' for it.
It is nice to have another measure of comparison, keeps my feet on the ground and motivation fueled.

Chris, do you know of a Japanese website of the organizers of such events?

The way to do that is likely through a Japanese technical college, as they host the national exams. I don't have any links for you though.

Here's a video of an exam from 2010. The project looks a little familiar...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A2G2AAx ... r_embedded

Matt, thanks for posting that. The video depicts one of the taikai events, and that project is the hinged/folding version of the sawhorse. I was thinking we might do that sawhorse next year at some point, with a few tweaks.

Yesterday I came across a carpentry school which happens to be working on the level 1 exam... at least they have 3 of them on the floor. I found one of the students and learned that there are just 2 students and that the school will be closing in March when the current class finishes.

This is the only school of its kind anywhere near me and my initial excitement turned to sadness at the news. I'll try to go back before the school closes and meet the sensei there. Next time I'll bring my camera with me.

Sounds interesting. Can't wait to see a report of your next visit to the school.

Closing due to lack of interest, even in Japan...this is sad news. I feel I should increase my efforts with putting out information on carpentry drawing and try to get more people interested.

Chris Hall wrote:Closing due to lack of interest, even in Japan...this is sad news. I feel I should increase my efforts with putting out information on carpentry drawing and try to get more people interested.

The joke here (as well as elsewhere it seems) is that you don't have to be a carpenter to build houses. I really should start a blog about this too. The houses (very loosely termed) are all the same. First a very basic timber frame is thrown up, the most minimal of joinery, and slapped together with some steel ties at only the most vulnerable points. there is no sheathing. insulation (i use this term very loosely as well) is placed between the mabashira, which in this context isn't doing much, and house wrap goes up on the exterior followed by the beautiful stone or brick stamped plastic exterior. This is all sealed nicely with very large 12mm - 19mm caulk line. Almost no eave to speak of, and don't get me started on the uninsulated single pane windows. I would love to watch these places light up with a thermographic camera in winter.

But alas, I digress.

Yes Chris, please. I'm noticing that many of the people carrying on the Japanese traditions and becoming fabulous shokunin (職人) are foreigners who have discovered the beauty of these traditions. In Japan sadly, they are often in their 70s and 80s and have no heir. I was on a construction site and showed some of them a few of my old books about Japanese house construction. They were really interested and wanted to find these books in Japanese (?). The owner of the company came by and told them not to bother and they don't need to know more than a few basic joinery methods to build a house now.