ABSTRACT
Introduction Japanese export puzzles have introduced millions of people to trick open
ing boxes, banks and interlocking puzzles. Trick boxes, beautifully ve
neered with a wood mosaic called "yoseki," require sliding panels to be
moved in sequence until the top or bottom lid can slide open. Some
boxes require over fifty moves to open. Japanese interlocking puzzles
are mostly charming figurai shapes, such as a barrel, dog or elephant,
that consist of ten to twelve interlocking wooden pieces. Representa
tive samples of mostly old puzzles will be described in this article. This
means that, unfortunately, the wonderful modern puzzles designed and
made by N O B Yoshigahara (Rush Hour, etc.), Akio Kamei (secret open
ing puzzles) and other current generation Japanese puzzle designers and
makers will not be included. The latter group of puzzles is, however,
more easily available to the average puzzle collector than the old and
rare Japanese puzzles.
