Karakuri Box Idea Contest the 17th/ Announcement of the award!
◆Waku Waku grand prix ”Windmill”
Original idea by Arisa Ohmura
Hand-crafted by Daiki Arimura (Karakuri Creation Group)
This is a windmill-shaped karakuri box with cute tulips.
It looks that the blades can be turned easily, but it can’t.
Please make wind by yourself. But fanning by hand fan doesn’t work.
Let’s imagine what happens to windmill when wind blows. This is a hint.
There are two storage spaces.
◆Unique grand prix ”Mysterious Kotatsu”
Original idea by Riko Saisu
Hand-crafted by Sho Sugimoto (Karakuri Creation Group)
The motif of this work is “Kotatsu”, which is a low table with a built-in heater and used in winter in Japan, and a cat inside.
I think it expresses typical Japanese scean in winter well, though I made it during spring and early summer seasons.
Please watch out not to be attacked by a cat inside when you get under Kotatsu.
◆Desing grand prix ”Idea Box”
Original idea by Naomasa Okamoto
Hand-crafted by Hideaki Kawashima (Karakuri Creation Group)
This creation was born from the 17th Karakuri Puzzle Idea Contest. The top of the box features several protrusions, each of which can slide left and right. There are storage compartments in both the front and back, but you won’t be able to access them without solving the puzzle. A symbolic pattern is carved into the lids. Now, the question is—can you have a flash of inspiration? If it feels too easy to open, see if you can do it with your eyes closed!
◆Astonishment grand prix ”Walrus”
Original idea by Takeshi Iijima
Hand-crafted by Yasuaki Kikuchi (Karakuri Creation Group)
Walruses are very unique animals, so when I looked at the original draft, various ideas came to mind. As a result, I created a Karakuri Box with a unique mechanism that has never been seen before. Even if you cant open this, you can still enjoy it just by watching it move. It would be interesting if a walrus like this exists!
17th Karakuri Box Idea Contest
Screening Report
Naoaki Takashima,
Member of jury group
Congratulations grand prix award winners!
Thank you for all applicants for 17th Karakuri Box Idea Contest and all members of Karakuri Creation Group who converted the applicants’ ideas to real Karakuri boxes with excellent detailed design and fabrication skills. I also thank all supporters of this contest.
We are pleased to announce that there were 211 entries for this contest.
The four jury members performed for the first-stage screening were Tadayuki Sakamoto, Tsutomu Onosawa, Hiroshi Iwahara and I. We gathered on April 9 at a room in the factory of Karakuri Creation Group to perform the screening.
The entries of this contest submitted to us were shown not the concrete design of Karakuri box but only the idea which explain how the Karakuri box should work.
So, at the first-stage screening, each jury considered whether the proposed ideas will be fun to play or not when the idea become real, as well as whether they are innovative or not.
Ideas of Karakuri box screened as a result of the first-stage screening was sent to the members of the Karakuri Creation Group for performance of the second-stage screening. The feasibility of manufacturing of each idea of them were assessed. And four ideas were finally selected for detail design and manufacturing. The members of Karakuri Creation Group had converted the original ideas into concrete Karakuri boxes by close contact with the applicants who created the original ideas. They also gave each of the four Karakuri boxes the specific name of grand prix as follows:
Waku-Waku grand prix for ”Windmill” by Arisa Ohmura.
Unique grand prix for ”Mysterious Kotatsu” by Riko Saisu.
Design grand prix for ”Idea Box” by Naomasa Okamoto.
Astonishment grand prix for ”Walrus” by Takeshi Iijima.
It should be noted that the name of grand prix given to each of the four selected ideas does not mean the ranking of them. Each idea has its incomparable wonderful features. I hope you enjoy each of them by manipulating with your own hands.
As I wrote in the Screening Report for previous contest, I believe that the winning entries of this idea contests continue to provide fresh stimulation to the professionals of the members of the Karakuri Creation Group.
August, 2025
Naoaki Takashima
◆Karakuri Idea Contest 16th / Click here
◆Karakuri Idea Contest 15th / Click here
●Watch the other annual winnersClick here
