Making the alcove (Tokonoma)
The alcove pillar (tokobashira) is by tradition built from un-sawn or carved wood and left with all its natural beauty. The first task was to select a reasonably straight branch from the oak tree in my garden and start to strip off the bark. Tokobashira trunk could be imported from Japan, however are very expensive! Take a look - 600,000 Yen! Mine, cost me nothing...
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The oak tree...
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If the bark is beaten with a mallet its strips off quire easily I found
Hint: By the way, you MUST cut a slot in along the length of the back of the wood straight away going to the heart... If not it will split in a most unsightly manner!
![](images/alcove3.jpg)
The bark can be pulled away with just your fingers
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Gluing the oak together for the bottom of the alcove
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It'll eventually look something like this...
![](images/alcove9.jpg)
The top rail fitted made from planed oak
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The tokobashira looks like a calves hoof at the bottom - very appropriate I thought!
![](images/alcove11.jpg)
The complete pillar attached
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Alcove with bonsai