ZEN & JAPANESE CARPENTRY
HAWAII TIMBER FRAMING INTENSIVE @ CHOZEN-JI
February 16, 2025-March 1, 2025
Join us for a unique experience melding the practice of Zen and Japanese Woodworking, training your whole self for two intensive weeks at Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple and martial arts dojo, in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. Students will participate in a rigorous program of Zen meditation, woodworking training and enriching recreational activities while enjoying nourishing, healthy meals. The first week will focus on the fundamentals of Japanese Woodworking: sharpening, chisel set-up, sawing, and hand plane use. The second week will put all these skills to work cutting and assembling a small timber-frame structure for use as a small pottery enclave.
About the Timber Frame
For this timber frame project we have partnered with Brian Lam of Paklan who has graciously offered his home as the site of the build. . The structure we will build will be a small enclosure to house an outdoor pottery studio. The design features traditional mortise and tenon joinery, as well as a natural curved beam. Students will learn to cut the joinery, hand finish the timbers, assemble, align and square the frame and peg the assembly together. With luck we will install the roof rafters and roof system to complete the building.
About the instructor: Jason Fox runs the carpentry firm Never Stop Building, specializing in custom furniture, timber frames and architectural elements following the Japanese tradition. The company also offers woodworking classes and organizes the annual Maine Japanese Woodworking Festival. Jason apprenticed in Japan at Somakosha with Temple carpenter Kohei Yamamoto. At last year’s festival, Jason and Yamamoto-san raised a 40-foot long timber frame with the help of 25 students in a week.
He will be assisted by Brian Lam, who has studied Japanese carpentry primarily with Yann Giguere of Mokuchi, and sashimono with Tak Yoshino in Japan. Brian also writes Paklan, a newsletter about Japanese woodcraft and the restoration of an old home in Honolulu.
To train in the craft of woodworking is to submit yourself to the material and the tool and be taught by nature, outside yourself. Uniting focus of the mind with attention to the body and physical dexterity puts one in a position to both create good work and receive the subtle lessons delivered by the process. For many, myself included, the act of "doing the work" is itself a practice so similar to a meditative state. Where are you? There is only the material and the working of it. —Jason Fox, Instructor
“By emptying ourselves we become one with objects, deeply absorbed in our work.”
About Chozen-ji
Since its establishment in 1972, Chozen-ji has been a place for individuals to discover their True Selves and make a profound impact on Hawaiʻi and beyond. As the only Daihonzan, or central temple, outside Japan, Chozen-ji is rooted in Zen training centered in the body—emphasizing breath, posture, and cultivating a bold fighting spirit. In Hawaiʻi, Chozen-ji serves as a monastery for those dedicated to deep spiritual training, a community temple where lay people engage in Rinzai Zen training, and a gathering place where members of Hawaiʻi’s diverse population put their training into action.
Additional Enrichment Activities
During the training, students may experience the raw nature of the Kalihi Valley rainforest or participate in additional Zen arts including calligraphy, Japanese tea ceremony, martial arts and Zen chanting.
Topics Covered
Setting up and sharpening a new Japanese chisel
Basic handsaw instruction
Setting up and sharpening a small Japanese hand plane
Understanding basic layout marks and the principles of cutting joinery
Mortise and tenon practice time trials
General design philosophy and layout of the Japanese timber frame structure
Team assembly and raising of the structure
Process of adjusting, squaring, and fixing the structural members.
Optional hand plane finishing certain parts of the frame
Optional installation of roofing system
Typical Daily Schedule
5:00AM Wakeup
5:30AM Zazen (Seated Meditation)
6:15AM Okyo (Chanting)
6:45AM Breakfast & Cleanup
7:30AM Woodworking Lesson and Demonstration
12:00PM Lunch & Cleanup
12:30PM Woodworking Practice
3:00PM Free time/Rest/Bath
5:00PM Dinner
6:00PM Optional Zazen
6:45PM Evening Training Time
9:00PM Day Recap/Talk Story
10:00PM Bedtime
Program Fees
There is a suggested donation of $3,000 for accepted participants staying at Chozen-ji, and $2,300 for those staying offsite.
Cancellation Policy
Due to the material and facility preparation required, there will be no refunds within 45 days of the start of the program unless we secure a replacement participant.
Included with Tuition
Room and Board Included. This twelve day workshop includes nutritious meals and residence at the temple.
Prerequisites
To gain the maximum value from this workshop, it is recommend you have some woodworking experience. Please inquire if you are a beginner so we can plan accordingly.
Required Tools
This workshop encompasses a broad range of woodworkings skills and techniques. The following tools should be considered a minimum to participate fully, however you should feel comfortable bringing your normal set of tools if you have experience with timber framing.
Please contact Jason to discuss recommended tools and dealers. Some tools will be on site to purchase.
1000 Grit Water Stone, 6000 Grit Water Stone, Diamond Flattening Plate
15mm, 18mm, and/or 24mm Japanese Chisel (Chu Tataki or Tataki preferred)
Ryoba Saw 270mm
Japanese Hammer (300 grams or more)
Sashigane / Square
New Japanese Hand Plane (42-54mm, 60-70mm optional)
Pens/Pencils