https://moritohito.com/ An independent index of woods, joints and old houses, kept like the card file of a Japanese lumber yard: every entry states what it was checked against and what the file does not claim. en-us Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT https://moritohito.com/woods/hinoki-the-temple-wood/https://moritohito.com/woods/hinoki-the-temple-wood/Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTWoodsHinoki, the Japanese cypress of temples and baths: what the pale wood is, why it outlasts the building around it, and where its limits begin. https://moritohito.com/woods/nikko-sugi-the-cedar-avenue/https://moritohito.com/woods/nikko-sugi-the-cedar-avenue/Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTWoodsNikko sugi, the cedar of the world's longest tree avenue: why only a few dead trees reach the market each year and what that teaches about scarce timber. https://moritohito.com/care/indoor-humidity-and-wood/https://moritohito.com/care/indoor-humidity-and-wood/Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTCare & KeepingHow indoor humidity moves wood through the year: the comfort band, the signs of a dry house and a wet one, and what a hygrometer actually tells you. https://moritohito.com/woods/kiri-the-paulownia-chest/https://moritohito.com/woods/kiri-the-paulownia-chest/Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTWoodsKiri, the paulownia wood of Japanese chests: why it protects silk from damp and flame, why it is feather-light, and why it dents so easily. https://moritohito.com/houses/anatomy-of-a-kominka/https://moritohito.com/houses/anatomy-of-a-kominka/Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTOld HousesThe old Japanese farmhouse, read member by member: the great pillar, the bent beams, the open roof and the floor plan that breathes with the seasons. https://moritohito.com/care/oil-finishes-that-feed/https://moritohito.com/care/oil-finishes-that-feed/Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTCare & KeepingPerilla, tung and the drying oils for timber: how an oil finish cures, how to apply one thin coat at a time, and when oil is the wrong answer. https://moritohito.com/woods/keyaki-the-gate-wood/https://moritohito.com/woods/keyaki-the-gate-wood/Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTWoodsKeyaki, the Japanese zelkova of temple gates and street trees: a hard, figured wood that turns well, moves honestly, and is getting scarce. https://moritohito.com/joints/kanawa-tsugi-the-long-splice/https://moritohito.com/joints/kanawa-tsugi-the-long-splice/Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTJoints & AssemblyKanawa-tsugi, the blind Japanese scarf joint for beams: how it lengthens timber invisibly, why it is cut like a puzzle, and when it is the right answer. https://moritohito.com/houses/the-engawa-edge/https://moritohito.com/houses/the-engawa-edge/Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTOld HousesThe engawa, the covered wooden veranda of the old Japanese house: neither inside nor outside, what it does for the building and the people who use it. https://moritohito.com/joints/mortise-tenon-without-glue/https://moritohito.com/joints/mortise-tenon-without-glue/Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTJoints & AssemblyWhy traditional joinery holds without adhesive: the drawbored peg, the wedged tenon, and what glue-free framing means for repair a century later. https://moritohito.com/care/sharpening-on-water-stones/https://moritohito.com/care/sharpening-on-water-stones/Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTCare & KeepingThe two-stone method for a plane blade or chisel: flatten the back, set the bevel on a coarse stone, polish on a fine one, and keep the stones flat. https://moritohito.com/joints/wood-that-moves-by-design/https://moritohito.com/joints/wood-that-moves-by-design/Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTJoints & AssemblyWhy joints are designed to move: seasonal swelling and shrinkage across the grain, floating panels, and the checks that are not failures. https://moritohito.com/houses/reading-a-reclaimed-beam/https://moritohito.com/houses/reading-a-reclaimed-beam/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTOld HousesHow to read a reclaimed kominka beam before buying: species, old checks, mortise scars, insect galleries, and the marks that are character. https://moritohito.com/joints/wedged-joints-that-tighten/https://moritohito.com/joints/wedged-joints-that-tighten/Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMTJoints & AssemblyThe wedged mortise and tenon and its cousins: how a small wedge of harder wood locks a joint for decades, and how to read one that is working.