KANNA, THE JOINT AND THE CHAIR

Japanese furniture maker Tak Yoshiko will be teaching a workshop on the Kanna, or Japanese hand plane. He will cover sharpening and preparation, and set up of the Kanna. The workshop will instruct students in the use of the Kanna in traditional Japanese woodworking and the use of this flexible tool to carve the complex convex and concave shapes used in Tak’s furniture. Students are encouraged to be innovative with the application of the flexible tool and come up with their own ways of using Kanna in their work. The workshop will cover traditional Japanese joinery. Tak will guide students in a hands on experience making joints. Tak will share his philosophy of furniture making and the Zen principles he uses to design his furniture and chairs.

Students will be provided with a Kanna, a sharpening stone, and a small 12”x4”x1 1/2 “ piece of wood to experiment with the different techniques. This piece may be formed into a small piece. Advanced students are encouraged to bring their own pieces of wood to the class for larger scale project if they wish. Due to the show nature of this class, Tak will be able to cover the principles and demonstrate the different techniques of the Kanna and the joints as well as share the philoshopy ad design principles behind his work, but will not be able to build a whole chair. The Kanna used in the workshops are hand made by Japanese craftsmen and will be available for sale along with the sharpening stone.

Members are encouraged to enroll for these workshops early due to limited class size.