The DIY Japanese Joinery videos are a great introduction to woodworking. Hisao is humble, deliberate with his instructions and explanations, and easy to listen to. The videos are of high production quality and most importantly don’t skip any steps. Some video series will start an example, wave their hands, and then pull out a finished product, but the DIY Japanese Joinery series show every step of the way. Well worth the money for any style of woodworker interested in seeing a perspective from a Japanese master teacher and woodworker.

Doing woodworking in an apartment can prove to be challenging, but Japanese style woodworking doing without glue is the best way for me. I can't stop myself to come back to see more of Hisao's work. There's so much on technique, exercises, joinery, that is just not anywhere else at the moment for who doesn't speak Japanese. I want to live in a world where knowledge on Japanese joinery is accessible and preserved and with help from our master craftman at DIY Japanese Joinery, we are getting there.

Japanese Joinery can have a steep learning curve, and there is a lot of information out there that makes it difficult to make a start. But, I found Hisao’s instructional style to be excellent. He covers the basics with exceptional detail, it gave me a really solid foundation to not only make high-quality pieces, but to genuinely enjoy the process. Repeated viewings always reveal something that you may have overlooked or forgotten. I’m learning something every time I come back to these instructions!

I bought into Hisao's DIY Japanese Joinery online course after seeing his YouTube videos and then seeing his Kickstarter campaign... it is the best thing I have done for grounding my skills in the techniques of woodworking with Japanese tools and techniques.

Hisao remove all mystique from the "mysterious" world of Japanese tools by beginning at the very beginning and stepping you through the beautifully "simple" tools design, setting up, maintenance and use. Hisao uses very clear instructions throughout the videos, and it is such a brilliant reference to be able to come back to from time to time to check on things one may have missed, or to deepen pone's understanding of the world of Japanese woodworking... from tools and techniques to joints and approaches to working with timber.

All round, Hisao's DIY Japanese Joinery is excellent value for money

After watching countless videos about Japanese joinery on YouTube I stumbled across diyjapanesejoinery.com wanting to learn about the actual techniques rather than watching a professional carpenter make something from start to finish without any explanation. I was overwhelmed at first with all the content Hisa has put together and didn’t realise how much actually goes into everything before one even puts a chisel to wood! Preparing and sharpening a Japanese chisel is a lot different to the wet sandpaper techniques you see western chisels being prepared for their first use!! I would highly recommend joining diyjapanesejoinery.com even if it’s purely out of curiosity as you will have access to information and techniques that I can only assume are privileged to the apprentices of Japanese master carpenters!

This course offers a detailed look into the world of woodworking in a very practical way. I loved watching a master execute complex tasks from beginning to end while providing useful tips on how to position your body and how to handle the tools. I found myself re-watching the same videos over and over again while in the shop practicing the techniques. I got to know the tools on a much more personal level and how versatile they are. I recommend this course to anyone who is interested in diving deeper into the art of woodworking.

I have been nothing but satisfied with DIY Japanese Joinery. I have been slowly accumulating tools and learning how to prepare, maintain, and use them. I frequently go back to rewatch the videos and it has helped fast track me on this craft. I highly recommend this product for anyone interested in learning how to get started using Japanese tools or someone looking for more advanced joinery tutorials.

I have been searching for years for what Hisa offers. His videos are phenomenal! I recently purchased my first kana and set of chisels and his sharpening videos are priceless and the best on the internet.

I am definitely a neophyte with regard to woodworking but recently became very drawn to Japanese tools. They are kind of mystical to me and you have helped to reduce the mystery while maintaining such a reverance for what these tools can do of you let them. I have watched you move slowly and do so with a careful attention to the process. Woodworking can be that thing I need it to be when I work as you have shown me. I can simply do and not be too concerned with completion...

Having enrolled in several western woodworking online courses and completed them I have some pretty good experience with this type of teaching and way of learning.

I find DIY Japanese Joinery to be the most informative, most thorough and enjoyable to watch and rewatch. Hisao style of teaching and humility is refreshing. He also has an admirable sense of humour which I believe helps his students through some of the difficult exercises.

Every time I rewatch I learn something new. I am not nearly through the course and more is added frequently so the value of this course is excellent.

I just about have given up on other Japanese woodworking instruction be it books, videos, blogs, etc… finding that if I focus on Hisao’s instructions that really its all there and theres little need to go elsewhere as that just got confusing for me. Frankly, if one allows these videos and Hisao’s instructions religiously I believe that you will find results will be amazing.

His help in tool selection has also been excellent without breaking the bank.

I am looking forward the his referenced upcoming videos on furniture making as well!

Cheers

I would highly recommend the Japanese woodwork course at RMIT. I have never done any woodwork before and all my friends are amazed at how good the wood work project is. The step by step classes were very challenging and I really enjoyed the concentration required to work on such a detailed piece Hisa is a fantastic teacher and I am looking forward to doing the next project.

As a timber framer I make use of a great many hand tools on a daily and professional basis. Now there is always something lost when someone tries to learn a new skill by reading a book. DIY Japanese Joinery is unique in that it hands on information from teacher to student. Japanese tools do not suffer fools lightly, and I have found that having an actual teacher has been invaluable in learning how to care for and use Japanese tools. If you are serious about learning this style of woodworking, this is an important resource that you should not pass by.

I recently had the great fortune to organise and attend a joinery workshop lead by Mr Zen. Hisao san’s approach to teaching and his craft is masterful. He is such a deep resource for students to tap into and the feedback from other workshop participants was glowing. We cannot wait to have a follow up workshop with him.

Hisao Zen's online course is by far the best resource available for learning about Japanese woodworking apart from actual hands-on training by a master! His instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow, and I especially like that his videos are clean and practical without the YouTube trappings of overly dramatic montages, music overlays, or self-aggrandizing personalities. As soon as I first saw his videos on YouTube I wanted more and I was delighted when he announced his Kickstarter for the course. I immediately signed up and I am very happy that I did! Even though I have a background in Asian woodworking (my father taught me Korean style carpentry), I still learn a great deal from Hisao's course!

Hisao’s online course is a comprehensive and excellent resource to learn about Japanese woodworking.The instructions on the video lessons are clear and easy to follow. I also highly appreciate the fact that Hisao’s explanations are not purely technical about WHAT and HOW to do things, but he also elaborates about WHY things are done in a certain way.I am very happy that I signed up and I always anticipates the next video.

I highly recommend the DYI Japanese Joinery video courses.

Hisa is a fantastic teacher and everything is detailed step by step.

Many other videos I have watched show the finished work without showing the detail of how to do it. That is not what happens with DYI Japanese joinery videos.

The projects are challenging but doable if you follow the videos.

I am looking forward to seeing the next video.

This course is a wonderful and rare opportunity. I believe there is a sense of purity, reverence and great skill about the craft of Japanese woodworking and Hisa is outstanding in his ability to communicate and get this across. I have been quite impressed with the video content. A lot of patience and care seems to have gone into making these wonderful videos. In addition, Hisa is highly approachable and responds to queries very well. He has been instrumental in helping me get started. Being part of this course and being able to communicate with Hisa makes this a very interactive experience for me. There is something magical working with hand tools and I am grateful to Hisa for making this happen ...

DIY Japanese Joinery is a great resource for everyone who is interested in Japanese woodworking and joinery. No previous knowledge regarding this topic is required to profit from this course, since every tool and technique is explained clearly and in great detail. The instructor shows everything and if necessary from different angles, nothing is left out or hidden. This also helps to get a good feel for how long certain steps will take. The videos are enjoyable to watch as well as much more fun and informative than a book can be.