Joinery is a technique that excludes nails and screws. To hold together the parts of an object or a construction, it relies only on the precise cutting of hollows and projections that are carved into the wood.
Thus, the “male” and “female” parts, or rather “tenons” for the reliefs and “mortises” for the holes, fit together and resist time and weather in a sturdier way than they would with nails.
Metal is known to rust, and even with rustproof nails, the structure is weakened by the introduction of foreign material that breaks the wood-to-wood symbiosis.
The Nejiri Arigata method is an ancestral method that can be observed in Japan in the architecture of temples. In this earthquake-prone country, this process is very resistant
The advantage of wood assembly is also aesthetic. When wood species are combined, they reveal fascinating patterns and show the ingenuity of the carpenter, which can be elevated to the rank of great art.
In Japan, this technique is called Kigumi or Nejiri Arigata. This word is not far from the word “nijara”, the Arabic vernacular for “carpentry”. This similarity of sound perhaps reveals the introduction of these techniques to the countries of the Levant through the caravanners of the Silk Road.
The Nejiri Arigata method is an ancestral method that can be observed in Japan in the architecture of temples. In this earthquake-prone country, this process is very resistant.
These assemblies require great precision and infinite creativity. No less than 4000 types have been identified, some of which date back 4000 years! Each family had its own patterns, from the simplest to the most complex, and it was not until the middle of the 20th century that these secrets were revealed.
At Warch(ée), we have decided to develop this type of woodwork for reasons of ecology and sustainability, but also for the pleasure of highlighting a complex know-how, which requires skill as much as precision and creativity.
After being initiated to these techniques, Warch(ée) carpenters will soon be able to create their own patterns and deliver more and more elegant and irresistible objects.
