The Flashlight Puzzle was crafted in 2011 and entered into the Karakuri Idea Contest.  It was pretty expensive with the Yen/Dollar conversion rate not very favorable at the time, but worth collecting. I value pieces that are shaped after every day items like Pineapples, Teapots, Radios, Dice, Books, etc..  This particular puzzle was designed by Shokan Handa and was produced by Hiroshi Iwahara.

Crafted in Angsana, Cucumber Tree, Walnut and Oak, it measures 6.7 x 4.1 x 3.8 inches so it is larger than most puzzle boxes in recent years.

Two finely crafted batteries are hidden inside the secret space which I felt was quite a novel idea.  It is important that this puzzle be opened over a soft surface to protect the batteries from being damaged.

The contrast of dark and lighter color woods on the face of this puzzle makes this particular Himitsu Bako very attractive.  The mechanism operates flawlessly and the batteries fit in snugly.  The downside of this puzzle is that it does not take very many steps to open and is not very complex.  I solved this puzzle within a couple minutes.  Very limited in number, this puzzle is a nice collectible for followers of Hiroshi Iwahara’s work.

The Half Finished Puzzle Box was Hiroshi Iwahara’s contribution to the 2012 Karakuri Christmas Present selections.   When first removing it from the gift box, I of course, was expecting something complex and I was not disappointed.  On first examination, the panels, made of Shiuri Cherry appeared a little thinner than previous works and slid very freely.   I had to stabilize the cube in my hands to coordinate each step.

The Half Finished Box measures approximately 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches and took only a few moments to find the very small secret compartment.  As I removed a panel, I noticed an “A” stamped on the inside of both the box and lid. This reminded me a lot of the Confetto Puzzle crafted in 2008 and I anticipated that a second secret space was hidden somewhere and that it would take a little more work to find:-)  Without giving up the solution, I will say that the second space is more difficult to find than the first.

We highly recommend the purchase of this puzzle, but unfortunately they were limited and sold out very quickly.  Other Iwahara works we have for sale at the time of this posting are the Pineapple Box, Secret Base Box, Box with a Tree, Super Cubi, Byway 2 and Acorn Puzzle Box.

Tatsuo Miyamoto crafted the Sunflower Puzzle Box as a Christmas Gift to Karakuri members in 2012.  Made of Walnut, Keyaki and Karin, it is a well-constructed puzzle and nicely sized at approximately 7.6 x 7.2 x 7 inches.  Mr. Miyamoto explains that he was dedicated to make this puzzle for his wife’s love of Sunflowers.

Taking it out of the box, I removed the lid easily, exposing a unique wooden Sunflower tightly affixed to the top of the puzzle.  After a short examination, it was easy to determine that there was spring loaded drawer on one side of the puzzle as the wood was a lighter hue and by putting pressure on the section of wood, it was able to be depressed slightly.  I was unsure of the solution and after a few seconds the secret compartment opened.  Not sure of the steps, I realized that it was because the first step of the puzzle had already been engaged. 

Opening the puzzle so quickly was slightly disappointing as I expected the puzzle to be more complex but it is still a very beautiful piece. Although the Pump Puzzle that was crafted last year and previous entries had been much more difficult to solve, I was happy to add the Sunflower to my collection. Miyamoto is famous for his Chance Meeting, Kuru Kuru and Walk of Ladybug puzzles among many others.

My first exposure to the Walk of Ladybug Puzzle by Tatuo Miyamoto was probably a few years ago.  I purchased it from the Karakuri Group and later a Special Edition version as I was very impressed with the opening mechanism.  Measuring approximately 7.87 x 5.91 x 1.18 inches or 200 x 150 x 30 mm this Karakuri Trick Box is larger than most.  Made of Walnut, Oak and Karinn woods, it is extremely well constructed.

When first lifting it from its gift box, a very load rattle can be heard.  On examining the puzzle further, a spring loaded drawer can be seen on one side.  A very nice quality lady bug is also included in the box which is required to solve the puzzle and find the hidden space. 

The trick to solve the puzzle is to move the ladybug along the leaf following the correct course to activate the secret drawer.  While not extremely complex, I very much like this puzzle.  The only down side that I see is that the secret drawer is very shallow.  Lastly, you must patient with this puzzle as it must be reset if the correct path is not followed. 

Mr. Miyamoto does craft many of my favorite puzzles including the Chance Meeting Box, Pump, Kuru Kuru Heart , Petit Heart and Fortune Card Puzzles.  While I have owned all of these Puzzle Boxes, they all seem to sell out very quickly. 

The Walk of Ladybug is on sale for a short time after this post.

I recently received a small number of Expansion IV Japanese Puzzle Boxes by Akio Kamei.  This particular puzzle was made available to Karakuri Members as a 2012 Christmas Present.  Visually, it is very attractive as it fits easily in the hand, has protruding nodules and a series of carefully spaced holes.  Initially it appeared to be a Burr Puzzle and after the first few steps, I was convinced that this was to be the case.  The first step was easy to find as it moved quite freely.  After performing a series of steps, I found that it was an ingenious puzzle box with a hidden space which also includes Mr. Kamei’s hanko. 

The only down side of this particular Himitsu Bako is that the secret space is very small, unable to hide any items of size, but it is an entertaining piece.  I passed on earlier Expansion Puzzles based upon the price and that it they were a little boring looking as most were in a simple square format.

Crafted of Walnut and measuring approximately 2.83 x 2.83 x 2.83 inches, it is very well constructed.  Because other versions may be developed, I am keeping my options open to add another to my collection!