Exclusive: The Follow Up - Traditional Japanese Carpentry - November 2020 Pagoda Build in Kannamachi, Gunma, Japan.
In this video, we revisit Kannamachi in November 2020 to take a look at the progress of the pagoda build from July 2020. The main structure of the pagoda was built by students from a Traditional Japanese Carpentry School based in Gunma, Japan. The students worked together to measure, draw the lines (sumitsuke), and cut the wooden beams that were used in the making of the pagoda.
This rare video was shot on location on a rural hillside in Kannamachi. The wood used for this pagoda was locally sourced in Kannamachi with the center pillar coming all the way from Wakayama Prefecture.
Some of the wood structure was processed in Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan by carpenters from Fujimoto Traditional Carpentry. Some of the carpenters at this company are also part of the school. The remaining wood structure was finished in Kannamachi by students from the school. The processing took several weeks, but the build took two days. In this video, we show some of the processing techniques, footage of the build, and also the progress of the pagoda since July 2020. When we revisited the pagoda build site in November 2020, a copper clad roof was being installed and prior to that hinoki wood siding was installed on all the walls. We got a chance to speak with the copper clad roofer when we were there. It is not often that you see copper cladding done and we were lucky to watch a master do it. The roofer explained to us that a copper roof if done properly can last 100 to 150 years. He also mentioned that there is no historical record of temples, pagodas, etc. in Japan having copper roofs renovated for 100 to 150 years.
The pagoda will eventually become the focal point of a future park that is planned to built in the coming year.
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Special Thanks To:
Daikushijuku (Traditional Japanese Carpentry School)
#woodworking #japanesewoodworking #carpentrylife
Cameras Used:
Olympus OMD EM-5 Mark II - HD (1080p Video)
DJI Drone - Mavic Pro 2 - HD (4k Video)
Canon iBS HF G20 (1080p Video)
iPhone 10 (4k Video)
Daikushijuku: www.jaho.or.jp/project