Miyajima Pencase - Koitoya Woodworking Class 2025

Miyajima Pencase

This is a 2-days course, Canberra workshop only

$530 inc. GST

6-7 December, Sat - Sun, 2025

We have another occasion with Japanese Tools Australia (Sydney) in 7-9 June 2025. (Application opens in March 2025).

Our new workshop program with award winning design item by Masashi Kutsuwa.

Beginners welcome. 

Rich in special skill experience and cultural knowledge for intermediate woodworkers.

Based on traditional "Miyajima Tsugi", Japanese saw, chisel, plane works. 

  

Content

Making Pencil / pen case, with inspiration from "Miyajima-Tsugi" joints.

Well suited for beginners.

Well suited for people who loves Japanese carpentry joinery. 

Well suited for people who love beautiful craft.

  

Miyajima-Tsugi

Miyajima Tsugi was used for the famous shrine, Ikutsushima Shrine with its Torii gate in the ocean, also often used in the region around Miyajima, Hiroshima- prefecture. This joinery is quite unusual and was used in the place where 3 sides are exposed and trying to minimize the look of the joint when jointed. This beautiful joinery is the inspiration of this design.

   

Designed by Masashi Kutsuwa in 2007, award winning design

This pen case is award winning piece by Masashi Kutsuwa in Takaoka craft Competition in 2008.

One of 3 different deisgns all inspired from Japanese traditional joinery.

About Masashi Kutsuwa

 Designer of "Miyajima" Pen Case

Professor of woodwork at Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture 

Representative Director of Ginowa (General incorporated association)

Masashi is not just a very good designer & maker in Japan, he is also actively working for social purposes.
After working as a director in the NHK news department (8 years), training in woodworking in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture (2 years), and working as a furniture craftsman in the UK (5 years), he has been a teaching woodwork at  Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture since 2006. His unique approach towards education led to introducing and blossoming successful Green Woodworking activities in Japan.  He is involved in international exchange in the field of woodworking, including inviting overseas woodworkers to Japan for lectures and planning, managing, and interpreting for lectures overseas by Japanese woodworkers. He is involved in the preservation and transmission of traditional crafts and cultural assets in Gifu Prefecture, such as training successors to make cormorant baskets for the Nagara River cormorant fishing, securing materials for Gifu Japanese umbrellas (Egonoki Project), recording the manufacturing techniques for cormorant fishing boats, and securing boat carpentry tools. He founded Ginowa after visiting and interviewing blacksmiths who make tools all over Japan as a researcher for the Gifu Prefecture Cultural Heritage Division's "Project to Preserve and Pass on Tools that Support Craftsmanship" for five years starting in 2019.

Books: "Van Gogh's Chair," "Green Woodwork," "Green Woodwork Revised and Expanded Edition," and "Making Chairs with Green Woodwork."
Link

https://www.forest.ac.jp/english/https://www.instagram.com/ginowa_/

We will be donating 5% of the sales to Ginowa Organization, Masashi's traditional craft conservation activities.

You will gain the following from signing up

1. "Miyajima" Pencase, all made by yourself by hand.
2. Hands-on Japanese saw, Japanese plane experience. 
3. Hands-on Japanese chisel experience with fine cutting and fitting.

  

Date 

6-7 December 2025, Saturday and Sunday 

(This application page is for Canberra workshop only)

* Sydney wokshop outline 

•  Date: 7-9 Jun 2025
•  @ JTA (Japanese Tools Australia, Kogarah)
•   2 related but separate workshops. 
• 7th - Making Miyajima Joint model ($410, 1-day)
• 8-9th - Miyajima Pencase making  ($630, 2-days)
•  7-9th - Miyajima joint + Miyajima Pencase ( $990, 3 days)
• Application will be open in March 2025, through JTA
  
   Please email Hiroshi (koitoya@gmail.com) if you want to pre-book with deposit. 
  
  

Time

2 days, 12 hours in total

Day 1: 9:00-12:00 | 13:00-16:00

Day 2: 9:00-12:00 | 13:00-16:00

* Please be flexible with your schedule after the class. Sometimes your project requires extra time to finish.

  

Schedule

Day 1 

AM: Lecture, Miter cut

PM: Groove cut / Glue up

Day 2

AM: Finishing the inside of box, Glue Bass and lid, Prep stitching

PM: Stitching with cherry bark, Finish sanding and oil

Lecturer

Hiroshi Yamaguchi (KOITOYA Design/Make/Teach)

30 years of experience. Learned in Takayama, Japan.

About Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Fee

$530

Class size

Maximum 11

  

Location

Koitoya Design/Make/Teach (Fyshwick, ACT)

Address

4/18 Maryborough Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609

  

Parking

Please park your car in the public parking area along Maryborough Street (Free), opposite J Racing.

We have two parking spots officially. Please contact me for the spot if you need to walk less for your health condition.

  

Way to the workshop

18 Maryborough Street is a battle axe block, located inside of the block, so you will be walking along the driveway that leads to the block from Maryborough Street.

The driveway has 2 accesses, one next to Tania Maras Bridal, and one next to J Racing.

Unit 4 is a blue painted building on the right-hand side of the block.

  

Things to bring

Please wear working shoes.

Bring your own water bottle and lunch.

  

Things to be supplied

Tea and coffee, snacks, filtered water

  

Refund Policy

Personal cancelation

Refunds up to 14 days before event

Administration fee of 10% is nonrefundable.

  

for more information, please contact Hiroshi

koitoya@gmail.com / 0412340619