2027 — the year of the Japanese boat. We’re thrilled to team up with famed boatbuilder Douglas Brooks to offer this Japanese Boatbuilding Workshop. Douglas has spent the last 30 years of his career preserving and advancing the craft of Japanese boatbuilding. His classes on the subject have proven incredibly popular, and his books are the most authoritative available on the topic. In this workshop, Douglas will lead a group of 8 students in the construction of a traditional 14 foot river boat. We’re honored to host Douglas and bring the beautiful world of Japanese boatbuilding to Kentucky.
Workshop Details
- Workshop Dates: October 9 – 14, 2027 (6 days)
- Location: South Slope Farm, Berea, Kentucky (map)
- Costs and Discounts: $1740
- All-inclusive: Workshop includes camping accommodations, and 3 delicious home-cooked meals a day
- Instruction by professional boatbuilder, Douglas Brooks of Vermont
- Traditional Shinto launch ceremony on our final course day
- Experience examples of Japanese architecture and timber framing during your stay
Food and Dining
This is an all-inclusive workshop experience. We provide all meals during the class. The lovingly prepared meals will consist of hearty organic dishes featuring local ingredients from our one-of-a-kind chef, April. You won’t go hungry with us! In fact, many participants remark that the food is one of the best parts of our workshops. We do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies. (We’ll follow up after registration to make sure we have your preferences on file.)
Lodging and Accommodations During Your Stay
All accommodations are included in the cost of the workshop. Here is what you can expect during your stay:
- Ample camping space close to indoor facilities
- Access to composting toilets
- Heated outdoor shower facilities
- Wi-fi available on-site
- Library with large collection of Japanese architecture & building books
- Easy 15 minute drive into town for any town needs you might have
Please note that we cannot accommodate pets during this workshop.
About the Workshop Location
The Japanese Carpentry Workshop is located 15 minutes outside of Berea, Kentucky (view map) at South Slope Farm in the gorgeous Clear Creek Valley. Located on 28 acres of hillside pasture and woods, our farm sits in the middle of a rural community with many folks dedicated to art, music, community building, permaculture, and sustainable food. We are pleased to be surrounded many friends and neighbors who want to live creative, intentional lives.
Berea is a small town in central Kentucky, home to an active population of craftspeople, artists, woodworkers, musicians, social activists, and homesteaders. Berea has a longstanding tradition of diversity, social justice, environmental responsibility, and community service. The historic Berea College is the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, and its influence on the town remains to this day. We always recommend factoring in some time to explore the local community.
Workshop Schedule
Students must arrive the afternoon prior to the official workshop start date. For example, students should arrive between 4:00-6:00 on October 8 for the October 9-14 workshop. We’ll start with a leisurely dinner and introductions around 6:30 p.m. The workshop will end around 3:30 p.m. on the final day. Please factor this in to your travel plans!
Our daily schedule will follow the same general structure each day:
- 7:00 A.M.: Breakfast
- 8:00 A.M.: Begin morning work session
- 12:00 P.M.: Lunch break
- 1:00 P.M.: Afternoon work session
- 5:00 P.M.: Pre-dinner free time, shower, relax
- 6:30 P.M.: Dinner
- 8:00 P.M.: Evening presentation or activity
Meet Douglas Brooks, Traditional Boatbuilder
Douglas Brooks has been building wooden boats since 1980, when he was a college student in the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program at Mystic Seaport Museum. He worked with Willits Ansel to build a replica of a Noank lobster skiff, and soon after he was employed at Stone Boatyard in Alameda, California and later the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.
In 1990, Douglas traveled to Japan where he met several boat builders, one of whom would later become his first teacher. In 1996, he did his first apprenticeship with Japanese boatbuilder Mr. Koichi Fujii, the last professional builder of taraibune — tub boats on Sado Island. Douglas went on to apprentice with nine total boatbuilders throughout Japan up through 2019, building ten types of boats during his time there.Douglas is the sole apprentice for seven of his nine teachers.
Additionally, Douglass has published five books on the topic of wooden boats, including Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding, the first comprehensive survey of the craft published in any language. Other than publishing, Douglas has been sharing his gifts and knowledge through teaching in schools and workshops around the world.
6 Days of Japanese Boatbuilding
Douglas will lead students to build a wooden Japanese river boat from scratch over the course of 6 days. Students will use hand tools and traditional techniques to transform commonly available materials into a beautiful, functional vessel. Part of the learning experience includes shaping the ro, or Japanese sculling oar. This workshop is limited to 8 total students only.
- River boat design
- Fitting planks using special handsaws
- Edge-nailing
- Using the Japanese hand plane
- Japanese boatbuilding joinery
- Shinto ceremony