The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, part of the Meijer Gardens of Grand Rapids, Michigan, commissioned me to build them a boat. Based on their needs I chose the design of an ayubune, a type of small fishing boat found on the Hozu River outside of Kyoto. I based my design on previous research I have done on these boats, including taking measurements of three sizes of ayubune and interviewing the last builder.

Ayu are a popular sweetfish found throughout Japan’s rivers, and every major river has a distinct type of fishing boat, called ayubune. Because these boats often navigate white water they typically have a bow plank instead of a sharp stem. The added buoyancy forward prevents the bow from diving traveling down a fast-moving river.

This boat is built out of southern cypress while in Japan these boats are made of Japanese cedar. Otherwise the construction was absolutely authentic, with edge-nailed planking and specific joinery attaching the beams.