Secret 18-step box from Japan.

CHALLENGE: Open the secret box

Difficulty: HARD 3/6*. Average solution time: 20 minutes - 1 week*

Dimensions:8.5 x 6.5 x 4.5 cm / / 3.3 x 2.5 x 1.7 inches

LIMITED EDITION, the result of the work of a Japanese craftsman who creates caskets in small numbers

Made entirely by hand with the ancient technique of inlay on Yosegi wood

It is said that the yosegi inlay works, typical of Hakone which is on Lake Ashi, were born thanks to the work of Nihei Ishikawa, during the last period of the Edo era (1603-1868).

Hakone's inlay works, enhancing the infinite variations in the natural color of the wood and the traces of its grain, represent one of the most sophisticated woodworking techniques, a manifestation of an art that expresses the perfection of geometric motifs through a refined manual skill passed down through generations. Objects such as boxes or drawers are made through a particular filing process using a special plane, and the refined tablets depicting particular motifs are shaped to form trays or bowls.

*Difficulty and solution times are indicative and much depends on the abilities of each player