Three-color Ichimatsu pattern
Today in Japan is Showa Day, a national holiday. It was originally the birthday of the Emperor two generations before the current one. Some people consider today to be the first day of Golden Week, the long holiday period. Although tomorrow and the day after are weekdays, some people take those days off as well, creating a continuous holiday that lasts until May 6.
Today is a holiday, so I stopped by the workshop in the afternoon. I had one shipment to send through the post office, so I took care of that as well. I’m not sure how it is in your country, but in Japan, shipping with Japan Post is available all year round, 365 days. The post office counters are closed on weekends and holidays, but the pickup staff are still working. If I contact them, they will come to the workshop to collect the package. The delivery process also continues without stopping, so the parcel keeps moving toward its destination. I really appreciate that. On the other hand, private delivery companies usually operate only on weekdays, so I need to plan shipments around their schedule. With the post office, I can ship anytime after receiving payment, as long as I am at the workshop. However, these days I often use private delivery companies because of their speed and accuracy.
After that, I worked on the final coating of the 4-sun puzzle boxes, while also thinking about the next project. I’ve had a request since last year for 2-sun cube puzzle boxes, so I would like to start on those. This time, it will be a 7-step mechanism, a standard type where two panels move. For the design, in addition to the traditional yosegi patterns, I also received a request for a version with three-color ichimatsu patterns on the top and bottom panels. So for this project, I’m planning to make new yosegi sheets with that pattern. In the past, I made 3-sun cube boxes using this ichimatsu pattern, and I used those sheets for standard 3-sun top and bottom panels and also for 2-sun cubes. But I no longer have those sheets in stock, so this time I want to create a slightly narrower three-color ichimatsu pattern, designed specifically for these 2-sun cube puzzle boxes and for the top and bottom panels of 3-sun boxes. For this three-color pattern, I will use Rengas for the red, Walnut for the brown, and Mizuki for the white. I personally like this color combination, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Today is a holiday, so I stopped by the workshop in the afternoon. I had one shipment to send through the post office, so I took care of that as well. I’m not sure how it is in your country, but in Japan, shipping with Japan Post is available all year round, 365 days. The post office counters are closed on weekends and holidays, but the pickup staff are still working. If I contact them, they will come to the workshop to collect the package. The delivery process also continues without stopping, so the parcel keeps moving toward its destination. I really appreciate that. On the other hand, private delivery companies usually operate only on weekdays, so I need to plan shipments around their schedule. With the post office, I can ship anytime after receiving payment, as long as I am at the workshop. However, these days I often use private delivery companies because of their speed and accuracy.
After that, I worked on the final coating of the 4-sun puzzle boxes, while also thinking about the next project. I’ve had a request since last year for 2-sun cube puzzle boxes, so I would like to start on those. This time, it will be a 7-step mechanism, a standard type where two panels move. For the design, in addition to the traditional yosegi patterns, I also received a request for a version with three-color ichimatsu patterns on the top and bottom panels. So for this project, I’m planning to make new yosegi sheets with that pattern. In the past, I made 3-sun cube boxes using this ichimatsu pattern, and I used those sheets for standard 3-sun top and bottom panels and also for 2-sun cubes. But I no longer have those sheets in stock, so this time I want to create a slightly narrower three-color ichimatsu pattern, designed specifically for these 2-sun cube puzzle boxes and for the top and bottom panels of 3-sun boxes. For this three-color pattern, I will use Rengas for the red, Walnut for the brown, and Mizuki for the white. I personally like this color combination, so I’m really looking forward to it.