Name
Book
Designer
Tatsuo Miyamoto (on his 2014 Christmas present, click here)
Type & Classification
Trick Opening Puzzle Box
Dimensions
10.5cm x 12cm x 4.5cm
Materials & Construction
A combination of exotic hardwoods with contrasting colours including what appears to be walnut and paduak. More information once the solution/specs are sent to me early 2016.
Construction fit and finish is excellent. All panels slide smoothly and are very precisely joined. With nice finishing touches like a spine label, the puzzle really looks every bit like a real book!
Overview
The objective here is to "open" the book. 4 moves are required before the box is solved and the "pages" slide out revealing a cavity which can hold small items. There are two circular cut-outs so the designer intended for small pieces of paper, cards etc to kept inside and easily taken out.
Difficulty Level
For anyone who has had some experience with trick opening or Japanese puzzle boxes, its pretty easy.
Summary
Miyamoto's 2015 Christmas present has a nearly similar mechanism to his 2014 puzzle but with a couple of more steps added this year. And applied to a different object. Very nice indeed and a great display piece!
For information on Karakuri Christmas Presents generally, please click here.
This is the first of my four Karakuri 2014 Christmas presents from the Karakuri Creation Group of Hakone, Japan.
Like all Karakuri Christmas presents for the year, the puzzle comes packaged in a box....and that is all there is to it. It does not mention the designer and many don't even state the puzzle's name. You won't know who designed which puzzle in the series, unless of course you only ordered one puzzle from a particular designer (or perhaps two) or you are very familiar with a certain designer's style. For most part, if you had ordered multiple items like me, you may have some difficulty identifying the puzzle's designer. It is only during the early part of the following year when the Karakuri Group sends to all recipients information and solutions for the Christmas present puzzles that all is revealed.
For now, I am calling this puzzle "Antique Lock" because it does resemble one of those antique Chinese locks. My guess is also that this puzzle has been designed and made by Tatsuo Miyamoto. If anyone knows to the contrary, please drop me a PM, thanks. (Edit 10 Jan 2015: Yes, it's been confirmed that it's Miyamoto and the official name is "Lock")
This one appears to be made of walnut throughout and workmanship is superb with etched lines on the body and fine detailing. Its a fairly large lock at 12cm x 9cm x 3.4cm. It even has a key hole on the front side but this as I discovered, is carved and non-functional.
The goal is to "open" the lock. When I solved the puzzle, I literally opened a drawer which is released from the bottom. Although the puzzle is very easy to solve (2-3 steps), the mechanism is very well hidden owing to the fine craftsmanship. The drawer is large enough for small items like rings, jewelry and other keepsakes. Simple puzzle yes...but looks great and displays very well.
