MagicPuzzles.org

I have been a member of the Karakuri Creation Group’s club since ‘08.  They make some of the finest puzzle boxes of the world.  It’s sort of an all-star collection of Japanese puzzle box makers.  It originally started as Akio Kamei’s fan club.  Kamei is the most famous designer in the world of trick (as opposed to traditional Japanese) puzzle boxes.

For $120/year, you get advance updates on new products, written documentation of all their products past and present, and a discount on purchases.  The greatest benefit, though, is that you get one “Christmas present.”  It’s a puzzle box made by the designer of your choice, though you don’t know what it will be until you get it.  You can choose additional designers at $100 each.  You pay your dues in January and get your puzzles around mid-December.  Additional puzzles can be added through the end of June.

I’ve avoided blogging about these because I didn’t know who the designer or name of each puzzle until I got the written documentation yesterday.  Brian Pletcher managed to figure that out somehow weeks ago, even before the Karakuri club mailed out the solutions (with puzzle names and designers) on Jan 12.

I ordered the Akio Kamei and Hiroshi Iwahara puzzles this year.  Along with Yoshiyuki Ninomiya, they seem to be some of the most, if not the most, popular designers of the club.  Ninomiya is so popular that this year you have to win a lottery to order his 2010 Christmas present.

Four Direction Drawers - Hiroshi Iwahara

This is an unusual puzzle box.  There are 4 drawers located on different sides and at different levels.  One of them opens freely; the object is to get all four to open at once.  It took me a little while to figure out how to get the second drawer open, but it was pretty quick afterward.

Iwahara seems to specialize in these puzzles with multiple drawers, having created other 3, 4 and 5 drawer puzzles.  The 5 drawer puzzle, “Memory Drawers,” is quite complex and runs about $1000.

Irregular Twin Box - Akio Kamei

This looks like Hiroshi Iwahara’s “Confetto Box.” In fact, my wife Lyndie, who takes the pictures and set up this site, asked me if this wasn’t the same puzzle as “Confetto Box” and Eric Fuller’s “Tier Box,” since they look so similar.

At first I was stumped, since it seems like a sliding panel puzzle whose panels don’t slide.  I worked on it briefly a few minutes each day, and got it after a few days.  I’m pretty impressed that Brian Pletcher and his family members solved this box in just a few minutes each.