Kumiko — The Art of Wood Setting

 

From Wikipedia:

Kumiko (Japanese: [(組子]) is a Japanese technique of assembling wooden pieces without the use of nails.

Method

Thinly slit wooden pieces are grooved, punched, and mortised, then fitted individually using a plane, saw, chisel, and other tools to make fine adjustments.

The technique was developed in Japan in the Asuka Era (600-700 AD). 

Kumiko panels slot together and remain in place through pressure alone, the result of meticulously calculating, cutting, and arranging interweaving joints.

The end-result is a complex pattern that is used primarily in the creation of shoji doors and screens.

Traditionally, the wood of choice is hinoki cypress.