Seeing tsugite in old buildings

Once members are assembled, tsugite and shiguchi lock together inside the members and are often invisible from outside. This article sets out places and occasions where the frame itself can nevertheless be seen. It lists only examples that could be confirmed through official information and similar sources. Few references were found that say which joint can be seen where in which building.

Finishes that show the frame

Wall finishes include shinkabe (真壁), which shows posts and beams inside the room, and ookabe (大壁), which does not show the posts. In shinkabe, the posts and beams appear in the room^[1]. A shinkabe building is therefore the first place to look for tsugite and shiguchi. However, where a joint lies in the visible members differs from building to building, and no reference that says so was found.

In temples and shrines, looking up at the underside of the eaves shows the rafters (taruki) that support the roof. Kumimono, the bracket sets assembled from timbers projecting sideways from the sides of the posts, are also introduced as members visible under the eaves^[2]. This reference describes the enjoyment of looking at the shape of the members and the flow of load, and does not mention the position of joints.

Above the earth floor of a folk house

A blog by a design office introduces an example of a farmhouse in which the roof framing spreads over the earth-floored area (doma)^[3]. The Nihon Minka-en (Japan Open Air Folk House Museum) in Kawasaki is an open-air museum of relocated old farmhouses, and its official guidance says every house can be entered as far as the doma^[4]. Among the houses introduced are the Sakuta House (作田家住宅), which combines bent pine timbers in the beams of the living room^[5], and the Nohara House (野原家住宅), where the thick beam in the ceiling of the main room is called ushibari (牛梁) and the curved beams are called chona-bari (チョウナ梁)^[6]. However, a notice states that the Nohara House is closed to visitors for roof repair work from February 2026 for about six months, and a reopening could not be confirmed^[27].

The permanent exhibition room in the main building displays the structure of old farmhouses and how houses were built^[4]. However, it could not be confirmed whether the official guidance states that any building or exhibit shows tsugite.

Open days at restoration sites

The Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education opens the restoration sites of National Treasure and Important Cultural Property buildings to the public. These have been held during Cultural Property Protection Week (November 1 to 7), and in recent years also at other times^[7][8]. In 2026 there were openings of the Jishin-ryo (侍真寮) at Daitoku-ji and the Ema-do (絵馬堂) at Yasaka Shrine in September; applications were required, and the next is scheduled for early December^[8][9]. Outside the opening periods, visits are discouraged for safety reasons^[7]. The schedule and buildings change from year to year, so they need to be checked on the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education page.

Conservation repair proceeds in the order of preliminary survey, dismantling, repair of members and reassembly^[10]. In some years a stage at which the frame is visible is opened to the public. In the 2022 opening, the Hojo (方丈) of Daitoku-ji (National Treasure) was announced to be opened "in the state of a dismantled frame" (解体し骨組となった姿)^[11]. However, no reference stating whether tsugite could be seen at the opening was found.

There is also a record of a tsugite used in repair. In the conservation repair of the Former Kinoshita House (旧木下家住宅, Important Cultural Property) in Katsuyama, Fukui Prefecture, the existing members were joined to new members by working them into the shape of a kanawa-tsugi (金輪継); this is recorded as work done in July 2017 on the city's official page^[12]. As far as could be confirmed, the opportunity to view this repair is in the past. No exhibit of old timber from dismantling that shows tsugite was found.

Carpentry tool museums

The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (Kobe) is the only museum in Japan devoted to carpentry tools, and its permanent exhibition consists of seven corners^[13]. It displays a full-size model of the columns and bracket sets of the Kondo (Golden Hall) of Toshodai-ji, over 7 m tall, and a model showing the structure of a sukiya tea room^[14].

Exhibitions that dealt with tsugite and shiguchi include the joint special exhibition of the National Museum of Nature and Science and the museum, "Kigumi: Bunkai shite mimashita" (木組 分解してみました, "Kigumi, taken apart"; October to November 2021). It showed the difference between tsugite and shiguchi and displayed timber joinery in a taken-apart state^[15]. For an exhibition held in 2025 at Japan House London (planned by the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, from March 12 to July 6 that year and now closed), the announcement said that a corner would be set up where visitors could take apart and reassemble timber joinery such as tsugite and shiguchi^[16]. All of these are special exhibitions. For the permanent exhibition, the table of contents of the official explanation of the permanent exhibition has an item "Assembling wood" (木を組む), but the text could not be checked for whether there are tsugite models^[17].

Museums that display tsugite and shiguchi

Museums set up by companies also have exhibits on tsugite and shiguchi. The Okutani-gumi exhibition hall (展示資料館, Tenji Shiryokan) in Kyoto states that it mainly displays materials on woodwork, such as tsugite and shiguchi, sectional models of a temple hall, and tools. A visit requires a prior reservation by telephone, and applications through a travel agency are not accepted^[18]. The Historical Gallery of Construction Technology (建設技術歴史展示室), inside the Institute of Technology of Shimizu Corporation, has items on tsugite and shiguchi in its section on timber construction. According to the Japanese official page, a visit requires a prior reservation, and photography on the premises is discouraged^[19]. The English official page, however, shows a notice that the gallery is closed for maintenance, so the two do not agree^[28]. Visitors need to inquire before visiting to confirm. The details of the exhibits at neither place could be confirmed; what was confirmed is only that each has an exhibit item that deals with tsugite and shiguchi.

Before visiting

Conditions of entry and photography differ from one facility to another. At the Nihon Minka-en, for example, personal photography needs no application, but tripods and monopods cannot be used inside the houses, and a rule requires that the place of shooting be stated when photographs are posted on social media or blogs^[20]. Opening of restoration sites is limited in period and in the number of people^[7][8]. The official guidance of each facility needs to be checked before a visit.

See them in 3D

• Tsugite for beams and girders: Okkake-daisen-tsugi, Kanawa-tsugi
• Tsugite that splices beams and girders over a post or short post: Daimochi-tsugi
• All joints