Karakuri Puzzle Boxes
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How to gain back your childhood open-mindedness -- before they're gone!

Karakuri Puzzle Boxes

Japanese Karakuri (trick) Puzzle Boxes are designed and crafted in the mountainous region of Hakone, approximately two hours from Tokyo. The area is popular tourist destination from the late Edo Period (1603 - 1868) with beautiful lakes, hot springs and fabulous sceneries, and continues to be very popular even today.

With an abundance of quality wood varieties, many souvenirs were created using wood and through generations of craftsmanship, they developed into a highly crafted wooden boxes. Among them, that attracted the public attention was known as "Himitsu Bako" or secret box. The boxes were constructed with tricky interlocking wooden elements and needed number of puzzling steps to open the box, making the inner compartment as a secret vault.

The concept of this secret box led to a new form of secret boxes, named as Karakuri Puzzle Box by Akio Kamei, one of the foremost contemporary trick puzzle box designer and craftsman in the world. He is the founder and head of craftsmen at Karakuri Creation Group in Hakone. Their aim is to go beyond the tradition and to create more enjoyable, more tricky and higher quality puzzle boxes. They sure have succeeded and continues to come up with more challenging tricks and puzzles!

Some of the boxes look real simple and they are so well made and sturdy that you will wonder if the box actually opens… it will. The challenge is to approach with a fresh perspective and an open mind, or in other words, to open the box, its best to think outside the box! Enjoy the challenge!

Number of items: 5
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Acorn Box

Acorn Box
[m0016_kara-6]

JPY5,168 [We are not taking orders]
Don't let the craftsmen fool you with his tricks! Japanese Karakuri Puzzle Boxes: Acorn BoxThe top c…
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PARABOX 2

PARABOX 2
[m0016_kara-7]

JPY35,884 [We are not taking orders]
Wooden boxes will never be the same!Japanese Karakuri Puzzle Boxes: Parabox 2The naming of this box …
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Egg

Egg
[m0016_kara-8]

JPY14,383 [We are not taking orders]
Easy to open if you challenge with a fresh mindset.Japanese Karakuri Puzzle Boxes: EggGuess what's i…
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Dice

Dice
[m0016_kara-9]

JPY14,383 [We are not taking orders]
A dice is a dice, how will you tackle this puzzle?Japanese Karakuri Puzzle Boxes: DiceThis exquisite…
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Expansion VI

Expansion VI
[m0016_kara-10]

JPY50,389 [We are not taking orders]
Knowing the solution may not be enough to open this box!Japanese Karakuri Puzzle Boxes: Expansion VI…
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  with details    images only