Tatemae Day 2 – Japanese Joinery Timber Frame Construction – House No. 2 – Part 2 in Machida, Japan

Tatemae Day 2 – Japanese Joinery Timber Frame Construction – House No. 2 – Part 2 in Machida, Japan

Japanese House No. 2 – Timber Frame Construction Series – “Tatemae” – July 2021

In this series, we are in Machida, Japan where we are participating in a new Japanese house build. The house design is based on a very traditional Japanese building style. The architect, chose a more classic design with his client and utilized a lot of natural land features to help increase the comfortability of the house itself. The positioning of the house along side a hill provides cool air during the summer months and a protection from too much loss of heat during the winter months. It is difficult to juggle the somewhat extreme climate fluctuations in Japan. The hot and humid summer months and cold and dry winter months are equally as long and difficult to comfortably adjust to.

House Information:

Land Area: ~436.18 sq. meters (~132 tsubo) (~4695 sq. feet)
Building Area: ~105.29 sq. meters (~32 tsubo) (~1133 sq. feet)
Total Living Area: ~134.66 sq. meters (~41 tsubo) (~1450 sq. feet)
1st Floor Area: ~92.54 sq. meters (~28 tsubo) (~996 sq. feet)
2nd Floor Area: ~42.12 sq. meters (~12.74 tsubo) (~453 sq. feet)

The house has a two stories with the common living area situated on the first floor. The 1st floor has a large 12.5 tatami great room and a dining, kitchen, and tea area are adjacent to the large great room. Also downstairs is a full bathroom with the toilet room separated. There is an outdoor terrace space that faces the hillside which will provide cool and shade during the summer months. The second floor is available space for rooms or storage. This house is designed for communal family living where all members of the family will reside in the same room.

In Part 2 of the House No. 2 build, we are continuing the raising of the timber frame from the second floor to the roof. The joinery starts to get more difficult as there are several pieces that need to slide perfectly together in order to set a wooden pin.

Special Thanks to:
Fujimoto Traditional Carpentry Company (https://ryofujimoto.com/)
Instagram: @ftc5610 @ryo5610
#woodworking #japanesewoodworking #carpentrylife
Videographers and Editing:
Kaori / Garrett

Equipment Used:
Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark iii (4k)
Sony ZV Log Camera (4k)
Apple iPhone 10 (4k)
Rode VideoMic NTG (Audio)

Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cruisin_around_20/?hl=en
@cruisin_around_20

Also check out our other videos:

Working with a Japanese fisherman in Nagashima, Kagoshima Prefecture for a Day

Working with a master glass craftsman making Satsuma Kiriko Glass, a Treasure of Kagoshima

Our most popular video:
Building a five-storied pagoda with a group of young carpenter from a Traditional Japanese Carpentry School

My personal favorite:
Making a Japanese Onigawara (Devil Tile) from Scratch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnfxkQNf2Lg&t=51s

50 Comments

  1. Wecx on September 3, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    In America the crew would be 3 guys lol



  2. Kevin Holbrook on September 3, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    I love the construction style of the wood work! I noticed that you had a pencil holder on your helmet. Where can I find some of them?



  3. Rmack56 on September 3, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    That is amazing



  4. ToIsleOfView on September 3, 2023 at 6:57 pm

    This kind of construction is only affordable for millionaire elites and government. If it’s government, how much tax needs to be collected to pay for this? There are some public works that deserve this extravagant expense but not many. Taxes are too high just about everywhere I look. High taxes can create a permanent poverty class.



  5. Mike on September 3, 2023 at 6:57 pm

    Why do you play music over the sounds of work? It would be better to hear the work then some music over top it.



  6. STROB.NET on September 3, 2023 at 6:58 pm

    Beautiful to watch this beauty coming into shape!



  7. Phil Andrawis on September 3, 2023 at 6:58 pm

    I know a lot of you think that this is a fantastic job which it is if it was sourced from the renewable sustainable forest, becue all this timber that was used is like a small forest that had to be cut down for one little house, they could have built a concrete slab for the first level and saved a ton of wood I know that Japan has a lot of trimmers so the house needs to flex, other materials such as steel can do that and for just a2 story building it can be built on a moving slab that will take lateral movements a save all these trees that they cut, I know a lot of people don’t understand the value of trees and how we really need them. yes the carpentry work is great and craftmanship is there but at what cost, if you built several of those it would mean the destruction of forests, and that lowers our carbon emissions and creat oxygen —- so thumbs down for this project



  8. Fishing Reporter on September 3, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    amazing. you guys are building building as furniture. Our carpenter here only shoot hundreds of nails in connections.



  9. rcpmac on September 3, 2023 at 7:03 pm

    The checks in this material passing through the mortis just seems wrong. 8:49. Sa a regular western carpenter, I would reject these pieces of improperly seasoned timber as would the building inspectors in Seattle. There is some fancy joinery happening here but the lack of seasoned knowledge (and seasoned timber) is disturbing. I hope the architect/designer is smarter than this.



  10. Anthony Gallacher on September 3, 2023 at 7:04 pm

    You know what, I’m absolutely too tired to tell you how full of shit you are.
    Japan is known for having the worst carpenters and the worst con artist and it’s on community.
    Why don’t you try living and working as a carpenter there and then give me your opinion.
    Don’t get me wrong 2% of them are absolutely amazing.
    As a Germans, British French, American so forth, and so on.



  11. Tzvee on September 3, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    Reverence , tradition, teamwork, saki.



  12. Zhcwu on September 3, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    Is there any video that shows the cut guy? I sort of wanted to see how they are measuring and cutting.



  13. Sonny Shaw on September 3, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    Amazing craftsmanship; if I were younger I would want to work with these guys. I could learn so much!



  14. Sergey Bebenin on September 3, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    1:30 that pile of beams would cost a fortune in the USA



  15. Sergeant Seven on September 3, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    This is traditional building correct? so this isn’t typical for all Japanese structures? I’m sure they have many houses built more identical to how they are built in the US. This seems very expensive and time consuming.



  16. dedoyxp on September 3, 2023 at 7:07 pm

    Beside all the theories behind these building process, I just love how respectable they are at work. It’s a work that not only need brute strength but also precise thinking and experience.



  17. JW on September 3, 2023 at 7:07 pm

    Impressive. I love the way they did that scarf joint on two round and very irregular beams at the 2:30 mark.



  18. Honu Moorea on September 3, 2023 at 7:12 pm

    It’s beautiful but I can’t see the structural optimisation here…. there is a lot of wood for little living space.



  19. Philip on September 3, 2023 at 7:14 pm

    This is so beautiful! it makes my heart happy that there are still people in the world who care about their work so much and have such attention to detail.



  20. Jed Notions on September 3, 2023 at 7:15 pm

    Are all houses there built this way?



  21. Bernard Wouters on September 3, 2023 at 7:15 pm

    Love you videos, I have one question on this one: at 4:04 you have a illustration of how to use nails to lock the Nuki in place. I don’t understand how the nails are placed, it seems they are next to the Hozo-ana or inside the gap. Could you explain? Thanks a bunch and keep making these videos!



  22. SocksOnFeet on September 3, 2023 at 7:16 pm

    Talk about culture that actually cares about the techniques and longevity of their creations. Im in the US where cheap labor and cheap materials to maximize profits is king, …:/…wack.



  23. Rafter. Skills on September 3, 2023 at 7:16 pm

    Interesting work, it’s good to learn from other cultures and ways! 👍



  24. Heath Holcomb on September 3, 2023 at 7:17 pm

    Has anyone done a comparison between US and Japanese building techniques where they look at the longevity of the structure vs the cost of construction? My first guess would that with all these joints this would hold up better to the environment and age compared to the US construction but then I think well…. does it? Actually detailed analysis would need to be done to get a real answer. It definitionally looks better but does it preform perform better. We would also need to define "preform better".



  25. Jiyu Shugi on September 3, 2023 at 7:17 pm

    That’s a very expensive house……



  26. Simon Loubineau on September 3, 2023 at 7:18 pm

    You guys are master Carpenter love watching I noticed the level could you please give me the brand ? Or one day make an episode of complete carpentry that you use every Day? Thank you by the way for sharing this is precious ,😃🙏🏻



  27. 森の民 レクサ on September 3, 2023 at 7:18 pm

    勾配キチィぞ



  28. Andreas S. on September 3, 2023 at 7:20 pm

    What are these shoes called, where can I buy them?



  29. Mert Nesvat on September 3, 2023 at 7:20 pm

    [9:16] Is it normal to have all the cracks in the big beams 🤔



  30. Kinha Arte em Madeira! on September 3, 2023 at 7:23 pm

    🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌



  31. Krzysztof on September 3, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    And not a single screw or a nail was used that day…



  32. 平安至上主義者 on September 3, 2023 at 7:25 pm

    丸太梁上の束はひからないのですね



  33. Eric T. on September 3, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    Impressive accuracy but not worth the effort.



  34. dave fieldhouse on September 3, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    My dream is to build just a small cabin with Japanese woodworking principles ❤



  35. Dj Parsons on September 3, 2023 at 7:32 pm

    What kind of wood is that? It looks like cedar.



  36. Smokeylovesfire on September 3, 2023 at 7:32 pm

    Major wood working skills here! Never seen anything like this. But I’m wondering how this will hold up in an earthquake? Is there any flex in this type of construction?



  37. Wulfen Fox on September 3, 2023 at 7:34 pm

    Wunderbare Arbeit !



  38. Omar Corral on September 3, 2023 at 7:34 pm

    I am so impressed. I love watching Japanese carpenter’s craftiness.: honto. Here in the USA 😂I have to endure Julio and Jose and all the excrement wood work they do that looks not even 1% in quality to these gentlemen at work. Wish I could hire Japanese carpenters to build my next home.



  39. Joxerra on September 3, 2023 at 7:35 pm

    So then for the nuki they’re using nails? I thought that as the metal has a different expansion coeficient as the wood, they weren’t using nails or screws…



  40. Joe Baucom on September 3, 2023 at 7:36 pm

    Great !



  41. albert c on September 3, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    looks like a forever home going up one timber at a time



  42. Haplo on September 3, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    There are so many lines of cracks, doesn’t it take down the structure’s integrity?



  43. monethismoe on September 3, 2023 at 7:41 pm

    Japanese Craftmanship = Perfection.

    The house was made with the utmost respect from the carpenters. The work isn’t rushed. They take their time to measure everything for it to be perfect.



  44. jj on September 3, 2023 at 7:44 pm

    Where are you building it? Beautiful scenery. And the joints WOW I’m retired from framing and log homes a few years back. I’m glad I found these videos makes me smile at the quality. Don’t see alot of that anymore.



  45. Jack Riley on September 3, 2023 at 7:45 pm

    Typhoon proof for sure.



  46. kermitefrog64 on September 3, 2023 at 7:45 pm

    This is a more solid build that will last for centuries. It reminds me of the old structures in North American that were of a pole and beam style and many of these homes are still being used. This style of building does so much better in strong storms.



  47. Tearstank on September 3, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    We have a lot to learn from Japanese housebuilding, absolutely stunning. I would love to have my house built be these professionals who take pride int heir work and deliver top notch quality. I really love the Japanese sense of perfection, it turns into art in the end. Simply great!

    These guys inspire me to be a better person, to have dedication to something like they do is a rare thing indeed. I will learn from their attitude 🙂



  48. jose angel otxoa sarabia on September 3, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    En el idioma japonés no se dice ok



  49. Craig Dutton on September 3, 2023 at 7:50 pm

    Their so accurate they don’t need and center ridge lines perfect 👍



  50. nanaandbump on September 3, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    This is beautiful work! The precision. .. They are adjusting things down to the millimeter. Here in the US, its good enough if its within a foot or two of where it should be. On the flip side, we can frame a multi story house beginning to end in an afternoon.