By Eowyn Michaels
On the third Thursday of each month, Makers Gallery Boston, located in the South End, holds one of the few Kumiko Panel workshops in the area.
Kumiko is a centuries-old Japanese woodworking technique that requires no nails or adhesives to create intricate patterns, said Ian Labich, founder and member of the gallery.
It first emerged in Japan during the Asuka period, between the years of 538 and 710 C.E., and has since spread worldwide according to Smithsonian Magazine. It is used to create detailed wooden latticework for sliding doors, screens and transom window panels in traditional Japanese architecture, according to the Japan Woodcraft Association.
“The intricacy is really what sets it apart,” Labich said.
During the pandemic, Labich discovered Kumiko through Instagram and decided to pursue the craft at home.
“I bought a book during COVID with a refund check and I’ve been doing it ever since,” he said.
Though Labich doesn’t have direct cultural roots to the tradition of Kumiko, he is passionate about practicing the craft mindfully.
“It’s important to recognize that it’s a part of my work that I enjoy,” Labich said. “But it is by no means my only pursuit in woodworking.”
When Labich opened the gallery last summer, his goal was to create a space that showcased diverse perspectives.
“I’ve always been really interested in … just showing people that making things with your hands isn’t as big and scary a task as it may seem,” said Labich.
According to Labich, students began the process with small, pre-made hexagon grids that served as a frame for the smaller pieces they cut. They then used a Japanese saw to cut thin strips of basswood into 18 tiny rectangles.
Students then shaved the ends of the rectangles with a chisel to form the precise sizes and shapes needed to fit the pieces together tightly within the hexagonal grid. Based on patterns of horizontal and vertical lines, pieces are organized into larger frames, Labich said.
“[Basswood’s] a good place to start because it’s soft enough that you can cut it easily, but it’s also dense enough that it can hold the intricate geometries that we’ll be cutting into it,” said Labich.
“It was a nice beginner session,” said Tyson Maynard, a Kumiko student. “I had not done any woodworking before, and I feel like I picked it up pretty well.”
At the end of the class, students added the three pieces they cut to a 10-foot, floor-to-ceiling Kumiko screen that Labich made when he first opened the gallery. Every Kumiko class, the panel gets denser, signifying Boston’s growing Kumiko community, said Labich.
“I like to think that all the students have a part in the gallery itself,” said Labich.
It will take at least 150 more Kumiko classes to fill in the community panel, leaving plenty of time for people to contribute, said Labich.
“Everyone,” Labich said, “is capable of making beautiful things.”
This story is part of a partnership between The Independent Newspaper Group and Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.