About the program
Join an immersive program teaching traditional Japanese joinery (sashimono) through hands-on woodworking, urushi finishing, and direct exposure to forestry and craft culture in the mountains of Keihoku.
Apprentices will learn from expert woodworkers using hand tools, local materials, and traditional techniques. They'll live on-site, adjacent to their instructor's woodworking studio, tucked in this historic forestry town.
By the end of the program, they'll have completed kiri wood projects made with traditional joinery methods, coated in urushi lacquer, and crafted with materials sourced from the forests in their immediate surroundings.
- Dates October 13 – November 7, 2025
- Location Keihoku, Kyoto, Japan
- Experience required Beginner friendly
- Capacity 4 apprentices
- Cost $6,500 USD*
*The inaugural apprenticeship is offered at a special discounted price, so take advantage of this first-time rate.
Our Fall 2025 session is now open for applications. To apply, please email us sharing a bit about your background and what draws you to sashimono. Selected applicants will be invited to interview.
why sashimono
In a world of mass production, sashimono is a return to the precision and intention of handcrafting. It uses precise, interlocking wooden joints to piece together objects that last for years. Backed by centuries of technique, this form of joinery celebrates patience, utility, and elegance.
Through hands-on practice and cultural immersion, participants will learn about the deep connection between spirit, nature, and craft in Japan, which is expressed through this tradition.
Program details
LEARNING ABOUT TOOLS
Your apprenticeship involves a deep dive into the tools used: you'll learn the names, uses, and histories of traditional implements like kanna (planes) and nomi (chisels), and develop a disciplined approach to tool care — especially sharpening, which is essential.
FOUNDATIONS OF SASHIMONO
Over the course of the program, you’ll create a three-tiered bento box using traditional sashimono joinery techniques. You’ll gain fluency in precise measurement, material handling, and build intuition for assembly.
WORKING WITH URUSHI
To make your pieces usable and complete, you’ll learn the basics of working with urushi (Japanese lacquer). You'll visit a urushi studio and learn about the coating process firsthand, gaining a practical understanding of how urushi protects, enhances, and connects woodworking to a broader cultural heritage.
FORESTRY & FIELD TRIPS
Step beyond the studio into the forests of Keihoku to experience the full lifecycle of wood. Learn about native trees and traditional forestry practices. You'll also visit museums, sites of spiritual significance, and more to learn about the interconnected relationship of the whole ecosystem.
meet your instructor: Tomoya Hyodo
Tomoya Hyodo’s path to woodworking began after a visit to a joiner's workshop who specialized in tea ceremony implements. Encountering a palm-sized wooden box, he was astonished by the level of precision achieved with natural wood. This inspired him to pursue sashimono.
He apprenticed under two master craftsmen before establishing his own studio — where apprentices will stay — and has spent the last 20 years crafting kiri boxes.
Hyodo-san also grows his own paulownia trees, practicing stewardship of the materials he works with.
meet your instructor: Rodrigo Matsuda
A descendant of Japanese immigrants from Okinawa, Rodrigo Matsuda is a surfboard shaper, designer, and traditional Japanese woodworking instructor based in Kyoto, Japan.
For over 20 years, Rodrigo has handcrafted wooden surfboards, producing more than 4,000 boards using only traditional Japanese tools and techniques. His approach to woodworking is deeply holistic: he participates in every step of the wood’s life cycle—from planting and harvesting, to selecting lumber and laminating each board with natural urushi lacquer.
His work has been featured in exhibitions across Japan, Brazil, the US, and Europe.
meet your instructor: Takuya Tsutsumi
Born in Kyoto into a fourth-generation urushi-refining family, Tsutsumi-san initially studied agriculture in Hokkaido, drawn to life close to nature.
He took over the refinery from his father to continue producing a premium lacquer developed by his family that had gained recognition across Japan.
Today, he leads the refinery, its workshops, and its retail space, while also spearheading an urushi reforesting project that aims to sustain Japan’s lacquer tradition for the next generation.
what is included
WORKSHOP & LECTURES
The program includes 80+ hours of guided woodworking instruction, and approximately 50 hours of free studio time to practice, experiment, and refine your techniques.
- 9–5 instruction three days a week with a 1-hour lunch break
- Free studio hours 8–9am and 5–8pm on instruction days
Content of instruction will follow a course of learning about the tools, sharpening, joinery, and project focus.
field trips
Participants will join a curated series of field visits that expand on the themes of craftsmanship, forestry, and local culture.
- Takenaka Carpentry Museum in Kobe
- Forestry and urushi cultivation sites in Keihoku
- Workshop walkthrough showing how wood goes from logs to furniture
- Site visits to ehance understanding of relationship between woodworking and Shintoism
- An overnight excursion to Ise Jingu, one of the most significant shrines in the realm of wood working
accomodation
You will stay in newly-renovated accommodations on-site at the woodworking studio of Tomoya Hyodo. Amenities include:
- Private bedroom in a shared home
- Shared kitchen and living space
- Shared bath and toilet facilities
- Wi-Fi and workspace
- Nearby bus access into central Kyoto (1x/hour)
- Peaceful forest surroundings
join the waitlist
If the timing for October 2025 isn't right for you but you'd like to attend in the future, we are planning to run the program again in 2026. Join us in Spring (April 13 – May 8) or Summer (May 18 – June 12).
To join the waitlist please email us and let us know what draws you to sashimono and what you're hoping to gain from the experience. You will be the first to get notified about future program dates.