The wooden bodies of hand planes are consumed so rapidly that it is said there are ‘ten plane bodies to every plane blade.’ For a long period after the use of daiganna—hand planes with a wooden body and sole—became widespread, carpenters made their own plane bodies and honed the blades themselves, refining their tools to create sharper and more effective instruments to carry out their daily work. Towards the end of the Meiji era (1868–1912), various specialized planes were developed to process wood more precisely and efficiently. With this development, daiya—artisans specializing in making plane bodies—emerged, remaining active until the Showa era (1926–1989).
This exhibition will feature a diverse range of planes produced by original and unique plane body artisans predominantly from the Tokyo area, with a focus on Soichiro Ito (1922–2017), the proprietor of Yamaasa Ito Shoten, a master plane body artisan renowned for crafting ‘unwavering’ plane bodies that never lose their alignment. Through audio-visual images and specialized tools, we will introduce these artisans’ process of plane body production.
We invite you to take a look at the world of plane body artisans, a realm that has yet to be explored.

Exhibition title

Crafting the Kanna-Dai : The Formation and Evolution of Plane Body Artisans in Tokyo

Date

2024 March 2 (Sat) ~ May 19 (Sun)

Venue

Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum 1F Hall

Time

9:30 – 16:30 (last admission 16:00)

Closed

Mondays (The following day when Monday falls on a national holiday)

Admission

Adults¥700, Seniors (65 and over) / Students(College/University, High School)¥500, Students(Elementary, Junior High School):Free
＊Including permanent exhibition fee