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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.

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.

Deja Vu

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Deja Vu is a trick dovetail box produced by Puzzle Master. Thanks Puzzle Master for sending me this box to review. The object is simply to open the box. It looks simple until you point out to the potential opener, that there is a dovetail on all four sides, which in the normal world would hold the lid and base quite firmly in place.

Deja Vu

Deja Vu trick Dovetail box from Puzzle Master

This is a really striking box to look at, and the staining of one half as a bright red wood really helps to make the detail in the dovetails stand out. The box itself is made from two solid pieces of wood, and there is a small circular hollow in the centre of the red half which could be used to store a small item. Most puzzlers will probably end up with at least one trick dovetail puzzle in their collection, the real beauty is finding one with a really tight fit so as not to give away its secrets.

Puzzle Master offers this box for $11.95 Canadian dollars, so it’s not an expensive puzzle at all, and that does show in its build quality. Given the price you shouldn’t be expecting a hand fitted dovetail with perfect mating between the two parts.

The fit between the two halves of the dovetail is quite loose. As such you can lift the two halves away from each other, and see the locking mechanism in one corner, keeping the box closed. Also as you can see from the close-up picture, there is rounding on the edges of the dovetail, which is a shame as it lets you see how the box opens too.

Deja Vu closeup

A Closeup of the dovetail joint on the Deja Vu puzzle

The locking mechanism itself uses a round ball bearing which also allows for a certain amount of play in the mechanism. One problem I found is that having handed the box to a few people to play with, they would start to slide the two halves apart, and hit the curve of the ball bearing with the slot in the box that the bearing sits in. This has started to round the outside edge of the slot the bearing moves in as the wood is much softer than the bearing. I don’t think it will get to the point where the puzzle will be able to be opened without first releasing the lock, but the amount of play will increase over time. This could easily be fixed by replacing the ball bearing with a metal cylinder which would behave the same way, but would prevent the rounding as the top of the box would not be able to lift on the ball.

The lock in the box is magnetic, and when closed, it holds the box nicely in place, To re-close it, lining up the two halves and then reversing the opening process is required. I’ve found holding the two halves in place correctly is a little challenging as they have a tendency to move as you try to re-lock the box, or at least they do the way I am holding the box. It’s a minor concern as the real challenge is opening the box not closing it.

I do like this box, and it provides a simple challenge to hand to friends, or to leave sitting on a shelf as its striking appearance will have someone itching to pick it up. It’s worth picking up a copy as there are few dovetail boxes available for the general public, and this is a nice box for the money.

Pagoda Puzzle boxes

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After the most recent Puzzle Paradise auction had finished, I was in the site looking at the details for the Stickman #2 that I’d won, and a few items which hadn’t sold popped up again. Two of them were Matt Dawsons’ Improved Pagoda Puzzle Box, and Pagoda Puzzle Box #3.

My fiancée saw these, and really like the look of them. Then asked me to get them. Both. After I’d picked myself up from the floor, I did just that!

Pagoda puzzle boxes showing Makishi's Signature

Pagoda puzzle boxes showing Makishi's Signature

Both boxes are designed by Matt, and built by Makishi. Makishi has signed the back of both boxes as can be seen on the shot of the back of the Improved Pagoda. Each box is limited to 40, and are beautifully made. Makishi has done an excellent job on these, and they look like a matched pair. The object on both boxes is to open the drawer that can be seen a the front of the puzzle. The boxes are made from Red Oak, Walnut and Maple, giving the boxes their striking appearance. The boxes both measure 5.3125 inches high, by 3 inches square.

Improved Pagoda Puzzle Box by Matthew Dawson and Makishi

Improved Pagoda Puzzle Box by Matthew Dawson and Makishi

The Improved Pagoda Puzzle box is an improved design from the one submitted to the IPP 29, hence its name. The box is a sequential move puzzle box, requiring 13 moves to open. You open it by raising and lowering the topmost section of the pagoda by spinning the lower two sections. The design is quite clever and is executed in such a way that it’s quite easy to get turned around and close the box again rather than open it. It took about 15 minutes for me to open this one, as the last couple of moves eluded me. This is where keeping track of what you did is really essential, otherwise, you’ll go backwards rather than forwards. After opening the box I spotted a smiley face drawn on both the inside of the box and the drawer, which can be fully removed from the pagoda. I have to assume that these are marks Makishi added to keep the drawers and boxes together while making them. It’s a nice little touch and I’m quite glad he didn’t remove them. I’ve already found myself doing exactly the same thing when working on my own puzzle designs!

Pagoda Puzzle Box #3 by Matthew Dawson and Makishi

Pagoda Puzzle Box #3 by Matthew Dawson and Makishi

The Pagoda Puzzle Box #3 which uses the Walnut as the main wood for the body is a slightly more challenging puzzle, requiring 25 moves to open it. The same basic rules apply for this box, with a few additional steps added to make things just that bit more challenging. This is a really nice puzzle, and I do like the extra complexity added. For myself this is a better challenge than the Improved Pagoda, however the Improved Pagoda is less frustrating for newer puzzles, or non-puzzlers. (We bought the Improved Pagoda for my son who has shown an interest in puzzling having watched me, so it’s simpler opening allows him to find the solution without getting annoyed).

If you’re a serious puzzler, I’d recommend the 25 move box over the simpler 13 move box, but as a pair, these look great together!

You may still be able to get these from Puzzle Paradise currently, or get in touch with Matt Dawson.