MagicPuzzles.org

Here are two non-traditional Japanese puzzle boxes.  They are both still made by Japanese craftsmen.

"New Move" puzzle box - Yamanka Kumiki Works

This is a 5 sun, 9+1 move Japanese puzzle box.  It has an interesting twist that makes it a little different from traditional Japanese puzzle boxes.

50 Move Challenge Box - Makishi

This looks like a traditional Japanese puzzle box.  However, unlike most traditional boxes with a large number of moves, it only has two sliding keys – one on either end.  It is much, MUCH harder than the 54+1 move traditional box that I have, though.

I had a 30 Move Challenge Box by Makishi.  I bought two as presents, and was able to solve one between the time I bought it and the time I gave it as a gift.  I was just barely able to solve it, though.

I was only able to get the first 10 or so moves of the box.  I was forced to ask Makishi to send me the solution.  Makishi has no web presence.  You have to call or (snail) mail him and send him checks as payment.   It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s definitely worth it.  The puzzles are unique and very challenging.  Plus, they are much cheaper and trickier than traditional puzzle boxes with the same number of moves.

When I saw the solution, I knew there was no way I could have gotten it myself.  It’s one of those that’s a little difficult to open and close even with the instructions right in front of you.

Here are the 2008 Christmas presents I ordered from the Karakuri club.  When you pay the yearly fee ($60 to join initially plus $120 for 2008) you get a discount on purchases; the privilege to purchase new puzzle boxes before they are generally available; plug one Christmas present.   You get to choose the maker of the present, but you don’t get to find out what the present actually is.  Additional presents are available for an additional cost.  I decided to get presents by Hiroshi Iwahara and Akio Kamei.

Cube Box II - Akio Kamei

This has a very unusual and satisfying mechanism.

Confetto Box - Hiroshi Iwahara

This has 2 compartments.  The first is very easy to find.  The second one requires a very unusual movement and is very difficult to find.  I had to give up and look at the instructions.

Mini Packing Box II - Yoshiyuki Ninomiya

This is similar to a traditional Japanese puzzle box.  However, its appearance hides the sliding panels.  Also, it was very tight – so much so that I gave up and looked at the instructions rather than risk damaging it.

I didn’t order this as a Christmas present.  I got it in March.  They had some extra Christmas presents that they sold via a lottery.

Here are a few puzzle boxes by noted Japanese designer Hiroshi Iwahara of the Karakuri Creation Group:

Byway Secret #1

It’s like a traditional puzzle box, but with an extra added twist.  There are actually 3 boxes to this series; I have the first two.  Here’s #2:

Byway Secret #2 by Hiroshi Iwahara

It’s a little harder than #1.  I had some extra trouble since my box was tight.  I was reluctant to apply much force onto the panels for fear of damaging the box.

Box with a Tree by Hiroshi Iwahara

This box has a very unique mechanism.  I had a hard time figuring it out, and almost gave up.

Acorn Box by Hiroshi Iwahara

This box has a clever mechanism.  I gave up on it too quickly.  My co-worker Mike Butler figured it out very quickly.  When he showed me the solution, I felt bad about not spending a little more time on it.

Traditional Japanese puzzle boxes were invented in 1893. They are primarily made in the Hakone region of Japan, which boasts a wide variety of different woods.  Every traditional style Japanese puzzle box I’ve seen has fantastic craftsmanship.  There are usually covered with Yosegi-Zaiku, which is a thin veneer sliced from glued pattern of different woods.  A few boxes are” muku”, in which the glued pattern spans the entire thickness of the panels.  Muku is more expensive, but the patterns are less elaborate that Yosegi.  Size is usually designated in “Sun,” a traditional Japanese unit of measurement equal to about 30.3 mm or 1.22 inches.  5 sun is considered to be the standard size.

The traditional puzzles boxes I’ve seen follow a characteristic opening pattern which is limited by their construction.

Triangle puzzle box

This is a 5-move box.  This is the one I give to people to try out when explaining traditional Japanese puzzle boxes.

5 sun 18 step puzzle box

This box has 2 compartments (top and bottom) to open.

6 sun 54+1 step

This is made by Yamanaka Kumiki Works in Japan.  There are 4 sliding panels.  2 of the sliding panels have 4 sliding keys each.  I thought that each time I had to move a panel with keys, I would have to go through many of the 16 possible combinations to get the panel to move.  This was not the case, as there is a simple basic pattern for most of the moves.  The pattern varies for the last 18 moves, but remains the same within those 18 moves.  The “+1″ refers to a hidden panel in the lid.  This is usually quite an expensive box, but I was able to get it for a considerable discount on eBay because of a minor cosmetic blemish.

Here’s the first group of puzzle boxes that my wife photographed.  It includes the Moroccan puzzle box.  It’s the first box I bought, and it got me hooked!  I immediately showed it to my wife, father-in-law and coworkers, who all loved it.

I got it off of eBay for around $40. The Moroccan puzzle box is made of thuya wood. It has what is called a Sorrento style design. The Sorrento design is seen in old puzzle boxes, in which the front design is disguised as a set of small book spines.

I also want to write about the 8  “small boxes” from the Karakuri creation group. These are, in my opinion, the best values for puzzle boxes (along with #11 Moroccan box and #8 “magic” box). They are relatively inexpensive ($35-42 each, available from Karakuri Creation Group or Izumiya.

Even though they are small (around 2″ on each side), many have mechanisms based on more expensive boxes created by the Karakuri creation group, so you get all of the puzzle at a fraction of the price. As with all the Japanese boxes I’ve seen, the workmanship is absolutely fantastic.

Japanese puzzle boxes trace their origins to boxes made in the Hakone region of Japan.  They traditionally had about 54 moves, and supposedly the difficulty in opening the box served as a lock to protect important documents or tools.  While this is the explanation provided on several Japanese sites, I don’t buy it.  If you really want to get inside, it’s easy to destroy one of these boxes.

In any event, the traditional puzzle boxes are primarily souvenirs of the Hakone region.  The construction of all the boxes I’ve seen are superb.  They normally range from about 4-72 moves, with 2-16 sliding panels.  In general, the more moves, the greater the cost.  They tend to follow a certain logical opening pattern that is not too hard to figure out.  I have a 54 move box which has 12 sliding panels.  Even with that many moves, it tended to follow a certain pattern which made it possible for me to solve in around 30-60 minutes.

This is a Karakuri “small box”.

Karakuri small box #1. This was pretty tricky for me to solve, but not as hard as #2.

Karakuri small box #3. Simple, but with an intricate mechanism.

This is a Karakuri “small box”.

Karakuri small box #2. This is my favorite “small box,” since it’s the hardest. It took me a while to figure out how to solve it.

Karakuri small box #7. This has a very unusual and satisfying mechanism.

Karakuri small box #8. This is easy to solve, but has a very unusual mechanism.

Another Karakuri “small box”

Akio Kamei is the most famous designer of modern “trick” puzzle boxes.  These often require less moves to open than a traditional puzzle boxes.  However, they are often more difficult because you don’t know what the mechanism is!  They can incorporate magnets, sliding pins, etc.  There are a great variety of different mechanisms.

The Karakuri creation group is a group that started as Akio Kamei’s fan club.  Kamei was joined by a number of other Japanese designers.  I strongly recommend checking out their web site.

The designs are very high quality, with prices to match.

Some of Kamei’s designs are available more cheaply as reproductions from Bits and Pieces.  The quality can be good or poor.  Fortunately, Bits and Pieces has a very good return policy – or at least they did.  I have not tried to return anything to them after they went out of business and then came back into business this past year.

This is designed by Akio Kamei, and manufactured by Bits and Pieces. It looks like a book. It is not difficult to open, but there are 2 different ways to open it that reveal 2 different compartments.

This is designed by Akio Kamei, and manufactured by Bits and Pieces. My particular box is not manufactured well. It is loose, and tends to almost solve itself.

Some other small puzzle boxes:

This is a “magic billet box” designed and patented by Mr. Krusen. I got it on eBay, but now the boxes are also available at www.magicbilletbox.com. It is machined out of aluminum, so it’s sturdy. For that reason, it’s one of my favorite boxes to show people who have never seen a puzzle box. It’s a clever design – baffling at first, but not overly difficult. It incorporates several magnets.

The “magic” box. I think I got this from creativecrafthouse.com. I think this is an old, classic design whose inventor is unknown. For that reason, it has a number of manufacturers, and can be purchased cheaply. For example, I think Daiso stores carry a version of this, as well as DealExtreme.com. Even though it can be purchased for $3, it is not necessarily easy to solve. I had to work at it for quite a while before I got it. I’ve shown many people who’ve struggled with it, and very few got it right away.

This is a Haselgrove box, designed by Jennifer Haselgrove. It’s not really a box because there is no internal compartment to put anything in. It is based on an ancient Egyptian locking mechanism.