Book recommendations
Curated English and Japanese titles with difficulty ratings and focus areas.
Essential English: The Complete Japanese Joinery (Sato & Nakahara, tr. Koichi Paul Nii, Hartley & Marks 1995)—397 pages on tool care, layout, cutting, and assembly. Highly rated. Japanese Woodworking Tools (Toshio Odate)—tool selection, sharpening, tradition. The Art of Japanese Joinery (Kiyosi Seike)—architectural context.
Kumiko: Desmond King's Shoji and Kumiko Design series—Book 1 covers basics, three shoji projects, and asa-no-ha. Book 2 has 40+ patterns, 500+ photos. Books 3–4 cover hexagonal and diamond patterns. Projects can be done with Western tools.
Japanese: Nihon Kenchiku no Komono, Sashigane no Tsukaikata. Difficulty: beginner (Odate, King Book 1), intermediate (Sato, Seike), advanced (King Books 2–4). Available via specialty retailers and interlibrary loan.