Kiji-zukuri (wood base-making)
A preoccupation with paying careful attention to the base creates stronger shikki.

Kiji-zukuri is work of creating a shikki base out of wood. Craftsmen called “kiji-shi” (wood carver) shape each base to order.

Kiji-zukuri uses rough-cut "blocks" of wood that have been dried over periods ranging from several months to a number of years. A block is set in a lathe to be ground into a rough, initial shape in a process called ara-biki. In the ara-biki stage, the block is shaved down to a thickness that is a little greater than the intended size of the finished product to allow for later shrinkage of the wood due to further evaporation of any residual moisture. Soon after it has been shaved down, the object is immediately dried to reduce the moisture content. This is a sequence of processes that must be carried out repeatedly to prevent the wood changing. Even after wood has been cut, it stays alive and breathes. So, this drying sequence is critical for preventing the kiji (wood base), which is processed in to thin slabs, becoming distorted or deformed due to moisture absorbed from the atmosphere.

The next step is an intermediate process, called naka-biki, in which the rough-cut kiji is further shaved with a plane to approximate the shape of the finished article. The wood base is not all planed at once; instead the kiji-shi waits for the wood to dry and planes the block a little at a time, occasionally checking with a template to determine how far it has been shaved. Once kiji has taken shape, the kiji-shi substitutes a blade for the plane, to carry out the finishing process known as shiage. Delicately shaving kiji with the blade makes the surface smooth in no time.

Kiji-shi create kiji with no irregularities in size or thickness. Moreover, the wood is strong, having been properly dried several times. Kiji-shi are well aware that it is this kiji-zukuri that determines the luster of the urushi to be applied later, and the finish.

１．Ara-biki

４．From block to finished article.

Kiji-shi
Yamada Mako

Ms. Yamada is the only female kiji-shi working as a traditional craftswoman for Yamanaka shikki (Ishikawa Prefecture), which is known as “Yamanaka for kiji." In recent years, an increase in the number of women working in the shikki industry has been observed.