Himitsu Baku Masters

The skill that goes into making a Japanese Puzzle Box is, at its core, a fusion of age old art and science. Also referred to as Himitsu Bako, the mechanics of a Japanese Puzzle Box requires flush parts that can move together in fluid and flowing motions. This is no small task. As many an apprentice has come to find, being off by even the smallest measurement will either make the box too tight and difficult to open or entirely too slack. Learning this ancient and respectable art takes many years and there are a few who have made a name for themselves doing just so. Their skill and contribution in this ancient art is the very embodiment of today's modern Japanese Puzzle Box. Read More...

Himitsu Baku 101

Himitsu-Bako is the formal name of the artistry referred to as the Japanese Puzzle Box, or 'personal secret box'. Over a century ago, talented artisans began using various woods of the Hakone-Odawara area in Japan to handcraft intricately designed storage boxes. Months could pass between not only choosing a variety of woods and letting them dry but carving them and piecing them together. Taking the assorted flat pieces in an array of different colors, artisans worked masterfully complex designs. The result was a sleekly designed piece of art that was anywhere from one inch to one foot in length. Each box is a work unto itself with no one box an exact copy of another. Read More...

Collectible Japanese Puzzle Boxes

Himitsu Baku Japanese Puzzle Boxes are unique and fun to collect wooden box puzzles that have become a true passion for people who enjoy stimulating their minds in unique and innovative ways. These Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle boxes are all functional, intriguing and truly beautiful. They are filled with secrets because they require between seven and one-hundred fifty special moves before they can be opened correctly. They can be found all over the world, but all authentic Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle boxes are from Japan, which is where they are hand carved and crafted by some of the most innovative master artisans in the entire world. Read More...

Challenge your Mind with Himitsu Baku

The Himitsu Baku is a Japanese wooden puzzle box, handcrafted from wood by one of many master craftsmen. The men who create these boxes in Japan are renowned for their craftsmanship, because these are simply no ordinary boxes. The Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle box is said to have been first developed in or around 1893, which was the tail end of the Edo period in Japan. The purpose of the Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle box is to challenge those who wish to open it. The Himitsu Baku box consists of a number of small panels, decorated in intricate Japanese patterns that make it a perfect mantle piece decoration. These panels need to be moved slightly in different steps, and each of the steps loosens devices within the box that will allow it to be opened after a certain sequence has been completed. The most popular and more easily found Himitsu Baku Japanese puzzle boxes are found in four-step, seven-step, ten-step and twelve-step variations, though there are a number of other variations as well. There have been Japanese puzzle boxes created by master craftsmen that require as many as 125 or 150 'moves' to open them, but these boxes are extremely difficult to find, and many of the craftsmen responsible for their creation have passed on. Read More...