KINOWA Ukiyoe Art Kit Kiharie The Great Wave Off Kanagawa Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai Made in Japan

I have been a professional woodworker for a decade. I have a degree in art. I have been a LEGO and model builder for 40 years. I feel qualified to make a few comments after building this kit. First off, it is amazingly intense to build. You have never cared so much about a single piece of wood as one you have spent nearly three hours cutting on with an X-acto knife (there are two pieces that take about that long to cut out). The care and attention needed is all-encompassing and will get you into a state of Zen-like meditation. Second, you will feel like you may never finish, but later you will start feeling sad that the end of the project is in sight. Last, you will also need an understanding of what ”short grain” is in woodworking or you will be breaking parts left and right. You will have to develop some strategies in way you cut parts out. The veneer has a coating on the back that will help hold the wood together. Patience is the key! When I ordered the kit, I was not quite sure what I was getting into. I expected a box of laser or die-cut parts, but this is pieces of veneer that have the design printed on them. You are the one that cuts them out. Next, you will glue them into place with white or yellow glue following the instructions. This is NOT for young children and if you are an old kid like me, then you will have to use an Optivisor to really get up close. I used an X-acto knife with the point reshaped to a millimeter wide “tanto” style point rather than the pointy stock shape. You will also need a cutting board. You may want to use a fine needle file or sandpaper to help clean up your cuts. Although, after a while you will learn to cut well and also see that there is so much going on in this painting that small faults are well hidden. Quick notes: I spent maybe 8-10 hours on this kit. It ships from Japan and took about a week to arrive. Nice packaging. OK instructions. Yeah, it is a bit expensive, but was worth it. I am really happy with the finished piece.

Detailed cutting of wood involved. Very satisfying end product.

パッケージも素材も気に入りました。出来上がった作品も味のある作品になりました。

経木（きょうぎ）の様なシートから、いかに部品をきれいに切り離せるるかどうかに出来が掛かっている。カッターナイフは、細刃のものが好ましいが、凸凹と厚みのある木をカットするので、紙の様な訳にはいかず、刃先の運びと力の加減にかなりの技術を要する。手先のあまり器用でない人は部品がズタズタになってしまいうと思うので、手を出さない方が良いだろう。

キットとして良くできていますが、木が硬くて上手く切れずに一部ガタガタになりました。急がずに少しづつ切った方が綺麗に仕上がります。

配送のてぎわには満足しております。しかしながら商品の製作に自分の不甲斐なさを知りました。 今しばらくしたら再購入したいと思います。