The Genius of Japanese Carpentry tells the story of the1200-year-old Yakushiji monastery in Nara, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, and the dedicated modern-daycraftsmen who worked for decades to restore it to itsoriginal condition.Although the monastery's reconstruction will not be fullycompleted until 2030, one of the principal buildings, the Picture Hall, has now been completedemploying the same materials, tools and techniques originally used in its creation over a millenniumago. Intricate joinery techniques that integrate the timber pieces to orient them in the same direc-tion as when they formed parts of a growing tree, demonstrate the stunning craftsmanship of theancient Japanese, which is still alive today.Author Azby Brown, one of the world's leading experts on Japanese architecture, chronicles thepainstaking restoration of Yakushiji through extensive interviews with the carpenters and wood-workers, original drawings based on the plans of master carpenter Tsunekazu Nishioka, anddetailed photographs showing the traditional woodworking techniques.This revised edition contains a new foreword by Mira Locher, one of the world's leading experts onvernacular and modern Japanese architecture.