Master Japanese Carpenter
Hiroshi Sakaguchi is a master carpenter from Japan. His understanding of wood comes not just from forty years of experience, but from a family inheritance of woodworking that goes back generations. From an early age he was trained in the ancient and very complex art of Japanese joinery, a carpentry system that connects wood by intricate joints rather than screws or nails. Experienced in the construction of traditional houses and tea houses in Japan, Sakaguchi-san has brought his skills to the United States. In 1985, he established a woodworking business, Ki Arts, in Northern California. Over the years, he has diversified to make Japanese-style furniture using the same joinery techniques.
Sakaguchi-san’s artistry can be found in private homes and gardens as well as in public parks, restaurants, and Buddhist temples in Japan, the United States, Europe, and Canada.
Publications and Media
Books
2003: Bathrooms (Pottery Barn Series, Oxmoor House, CA)
2003: Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto, The Japanese Bath (Gibbs Smith, UT)
2001: Frank Cabot, A Greater Perfection (Horus Press, NY)
1988: James Van Arsdale, Shoji (Kodansha International, NY)
Magazines
June 2005: “Inspired House”
January 2000: “Jardins, La Revue Quebecoise du Jardinage”
November 1996: “House Beautiful”
August 1994: “Better Homes and Gardens”
Newspapers
June 12, 2000: “The Californian” (Salinas, CA)
May 5, 1999: “The San Francisco Chronicle” (San Francisco, CA)
TV
Show #401: Modern Masters Series (Home and Garden cable channel)
March 23, 2000: KRON TV news (San Francisco, CA)
