Karakuri Cube Boxes 3 & 4

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As I have mentioned previously, I was given a loan of a number of Karakuri puzzle boxes from my friend Derek Bosch. I have been slowly working my way through the puzzles Derek gave me, and this is the next in the series of reviews of those boxes.

Note: This post has been modified from it’s original posting to remove potential spoilers.

In 2009, the Karakuri Creation Group created a series of four small cubes. Each of these had a different opening mechanism, and were all designed to be part of the same affordable series of puzzle boxes as their Small Boxes.

Karakuri Cube Box #3

Karakuri Cube Box #3

Karakuri Cube Box #4

Karakuri Cube Box #4

All of the boxes are 2 3/4″ in size, so all fit nicely in the palm of your hand. The boxes are all fairly cheap when it comes to Japanese puzzle boxes, which was another of the groups goals. At around $52 each, while these aren’t the cheapest puzzle boxes you can find, they are very reasonable. Like any of the boxes from the Karakuri group, or any of their craftsmen, the fit and finish of these boxes is excellent. In all honesty, for what you pay for these boxes, you are getting a quality that is far above that of most western manufacturers.

Cube Box #3 is made from Walnut, Maple and Katsura. The Walnut and Maple give the box its contrasting external panels, as is true with the choice of woods on all the Cube boxes. The panels are all well fitted, and to look at the box, there are really no clues as to what could move, or where the mechanism is hidden. For me that is one of the signs of a well made puzzle box. Any loose fit, or gaps tend to give clues as to how to open the box. You’ll not find any such clues here.

Exploring the box and trying to move individual panels, as you may be used to from other puzzle boxes isn’t going to get you far here. As I mentioned each of the mechanisms is different, and often has a twist to it. This is no exception. After around 5 minutes of investigating, I found the secret to this box, and although the mechanism is tight, it moves very smoothly, and reveals the internal chamber easily.

I’ve handed this round to a few friends, and most seem to be able to find the moving parts fairly easily, although even having found the initial move, the final ‘open’ has taken a few people another minute or two to find. For such a simple mechanism, this is well made, and well worth owning.

Cube Box #4 is made from Karin, Maple and Katsura. The wonderful rich red colour from the Karin really stands out against the maple on this box, making it a puzzle which really stands out on a shelf. One of the goals of the Cube boxes was that each box should take no more than 5 moves to open. Even with such a small number of movements, some of the boxes can still be a challenge to open. #4 comes close to the limit requiring 4 moves to open, and has a rather unique final movement.

I really like this box, as despite having a fairly ‘standard’ set of moves to begin opening it, the final move is rather unique. One downside to this is that there really isn’t any internal space in the box. Maybe that is ok, as the puzzle is described as a cube, and not a box. I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Both of these are beautifully made boxes, and with the different mechanisms, and identical external appearance, they are fun to give to friends, as they won’t expect to have such different mechanisms. I highly recommend these if you get a chance to buy them, either from Karakuri directly, or from many other puzzle shops which carry the Karakuri puzzles.

Yin & Yang

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Yin & Yang is another Puzzle Master metal puzzle designed by Doug Engel where the object is to separate and re-assemble the pieces. Thanks Puzzle Master for sending me this puzzle to review.

Yin Yang

Yin Yang

This is a fairly solid metal puzzle, with a reasonable weight to it. The anodised metal parts look great with the contrasting black and silver pieces, cut from solid aluminium. Rated as a Level 5 (Easy) puzzle by Puzzle Master, I have to agree. Taking this puzzle apart isn’t too difficult, and putting it back to its original shape is also fairly simple as long as you work in pairs.

Yin Yang Pieces

Yin Yang Pieces

The two sets of pieces are well made, and although the fit of the assembled puzzle is loose, it does hold itself together fairly well, and looks good sitting on the puzzle shelf.

Handing this puzzle around to a few friends, it’s not caused anyone any issues in being able to solve or re-assemble it, but most people like the look, and are surprised by the weight when they pick it up. This is a nice beginner puzzle, and although there may not be much in the way of re-solving, it will make a nice present for new puzzlers, or for father’s day if you’re still looking for something.

Cube Box by Akio Kamei

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Thanks to the kindness of fellow puzzler Derek Bosch, I have a host of new Karakuri puzzles on loan to test my puzzle solving skills. I’ll be going through those puzzles and reviewing them as I go. This is the first in that series of reviews.

Note: This post has been modified from it’s original posting to remove potential spoilers.

Kamei's Cube Box

Kamei's Cube Box front

Kamei's Cube Box

Kamei's Cube Box Back

This box was made as a Christmas present for Karakuri Club members in 2005 by Kamei, and has the code M-34 from the Karakuri catalogue. The box is made from Walnut, Keyaki, Rose-wood measuring just over 2″ x 2″ x 2″.

The Karakuri information about the puzzle box says ”
Kamei divided a cube into four triangular pyramids. Of course Kamei had to create a new way of opening it and the new mechanisms for this box only. At first Kamei imagined that each triangular pyramid should move radially. But Kamei gave up this design because the mechanism became too complicated. Finally Kamei decided on “Translation”.

I’m not sure how much that tells you about the box, but I always find it interesting to see how the designer describes his puzzles (or her, I’m not sexist here!)

The box itself looks great, and as with all of the Karakuri boxes that I have opened, the fit and finish of this box is excellent as you would expect from a Karakuri box. Initially there is no obvious movement from anything on the box, and no rattles to indicate a hidden mechanism. Given the way the outer panels have been designed, there’s little to help you get a hold on the puzzle to start trying to move the panels. That mirror finish makes things tough.

Fortunately, the grooves between the panels are fairly deep, and allow you to get a purchase, to start checking for movement. Before too long you’ll find a panel that moves, then another and another. The box expands slightly as you move each of the panels in turn, releasing the locks keeping the box closed.

Clicking the image below may show spoilers. Don’t click if you don’t want to see.

Kamei's Cube Box open

Kamei's Cube Box opened



After unlocking the box, it splits into two halves and in one Kamei has stamped his signature. It’s a nice mechanism, and I dread to think what Kamei was trying to do originally that became too complex. One thing I have found is that putting the two halves back together to close the box is a little tricky. The fit between the sections of the puzzle is so tight and given how the panels are arranged, it’s very easy to close one, which will prevent the lid from being able to be placed back onto the base.

This is a very nice box, and is typical of Kamei’s work. Unfortunately, as this was a Christmas Present it is no longer available, so the only way to acquire one would be through a puzzle auction. If you get the chance I’d recommend it as it’s not only a good looking puzzle, but a novel mechanism as well. Thanks again Derek for lending me this puzzle box.

Puzzle Delivery

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After the long weekend I was surprised when a fellow puzzler, friend and workmate wandered over to my desk this morning to hand me a bag of puzzles.

Karakuri Puzzle Delivery

Karakuri Puzzle Delivery

Derek spent some of his time over the weekend going through his puzzle collection, getting ready for the upcoming Cubic Dissection auctions finding things he was looking to sell on. He was kind enough to bring this little selection to me to try to solve. These aren’t going into the auction, sorry

Thanks for the loan of these puzzles Derek! Much appreciated.

The Always Empty Box

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The Always Empty Box created by Phil Tomlinson is his first puzzle box, and what a cracker it is. Phil is a cabinetmaker and woodworker with 35 years experience. He lives in Cincinnati OH, and his business is called WolfAngel Studios.

The Always Empty Box

The Always Empty Box

This is a beautifully made box crafted from Black Walnut, Curly Maple, Bloodwood, Rock Maple and Pawlownia. Opening the card box the puzzle is stored in, you are greeted with a Care, Feeding and General information booklet, with lots of info about the puzzle, and how best to look after it. This did make me chuckle, and the information is all worthwhile, especially if you’re not familiar with wood puzzles. Phil did a great job here, and even before taking the box out of the box you’re left with a smile on your face.

The box itself is beautifully finished as you can see from the photograph, with a wonderful satin lacquer giving the box an almost polished look. It measures 3-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ x 5-1/4″ so is a good sized box, and really wouldn’t look out of place as a work from the Karakuri Group. Yes, the quality is that good in my opinion. Phil notes that only 30 of these boxes will be made, and only 22 were sold on Puzzle Paradise, so I was lucky to be able to get one, as these sold out very quickly.

The fit of the box is very snug, the moving parts move very smoothly, but they are a tight fit, just as mentioned in the care booklet. If I were to be picky, there are a couple of gaps at some of the joins in the box, but really that’s being very picky. Overall, this is a stunning looking box, and looks great beside my other wooden boxes.

Opening the box is a fun experience. Initially nothing much seems to do anything, until you find a co-ordinate motion which moves things a tiny fraction, but no more. Finding the lock to open the box the rest of the way takes a little more exploring. Once the box is opened, Phil is quite right with his description, it is always empty (except for the few wood shavings that were still inhabiting my box). I’ve kept those shavings for what its worth!

The final surprise is left to finding out why the box is always empty. This isn’t disguised as cleverly as I have seen in other puzzle boxes, but it is a nice touch, and Phil has done a great job on the box. The magnetic catch which keeps the box empty is a nice touch.

Having given this box to a fellow puzzler, he also enjoyed opening the box, and likened it to some of the Karakuri works in terms of quality. High praise indeed.

Happy to have added this to my collection, and I’ll be happy to show this one around! Great job Phil. Love the work.

Magic Dice

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Magic dice is another Puzzle Master designed and built wooden puzzle, where the object is to remove a small marble from the inside of the dice. Thanks Puzzle Master for sending me this puzzle to review.

Magic Dice by Puzzle Master

Magic Dice by Puzzle Master

The 2 4/5 inch cube is made from Rubberwood, and has countersunk holes on each side corresponding to the faces of a dice. As far as the magic part of the name goes, I have no idea where that came from. Inside the cube, a small marble is trapped, and runs along tunnels, forming a sort of simple maze. By looking through the holes in the sides, and tilting and turning the puzzle, you can navigate the marble through the maze until it can be removed through the side with the single hole, which is slightly larger than the others on the cube. The outer cube is well finished, and looks great. The inner ‘maze’ is a lot rougher, and the finish of the wood isn’t as high as on the outside.

Getting the marble to that side is a reasonable challenge. There are no internal stops on most sides of the cube, so it’s easy to have the marble run from one side of the cube to the other, without pausing anywhere in the middle. A gentle hand, and the occasional ‘hop’ is required to coax the marble to where you need it. There is an added challenge by not being able to see through the puzzle on all sides. Given that the holes represent a dice, there is no visibility in the centre of the puzzle on the #4 side for example.

Magic Dice Solved

The Marble removed from the puzzle

Puzzle Master rates this is a level 5 puzzle (easy) and I’d agree. It’s not a tough puzzle, but can be a little frustrating as you watch the marble speed past where you wanted it to stop. I took around five minutes to remove the marble, and I suspect most people would be the same. Overall a fun puzzle, just don’t expect it to keep you entertained for hours.