Hello,
The purpose aside, the beauty of the technique, (so called draw boring) is when all goes as intended and the peg or pegs are driven home, the joint is incredibly effective. It does amaze me how much impact on the overall integrity of, it's a mortice and tenon were on about here right, the joint this aspect has. What does that mean? It makes the joint solid and stiff. So, no, it's not just about the aesthetics of closing up the connection it's equally about how well an individual joint performs its function within the whole of the construction, and rigidity is clearly the trajectory, conceptually and practically of European style construction, not absolute rigidity at all but rigidity in the Cartesian sense of the human effort to resist the condition of the natural world. The worth of pegging in this way depends on reaching an optimal balance of forces.
If we are going to look at Japanese construction and European, which has been done before by people like Grubner and Zwerger for example then I think it's valid to bring up flexibility in Japanese construction. I do buy into the point that the joinery and related techniques reflect among other things naturally but in large part even, the sheer demands of the natural environment prone to earthquakes.
So the question is then where does this pegged joint fit into the Japanese context? I am saying it is marginal at best and even go so far as to say, without drawing any further conclusions but just as a fact, that it was introduced relatively late, 150 years ago sounds about right, from the west, where, in European joinery it's equivalent place is central, it's integral to particular joints and to the entire construction.
Chris, Do you actually think the way the hole is made is so insignificant to it's widespread use, or in the way I put it before its feasibility? I can't believe it. Don't get all to caught up in the name, here they say toogen which can mean to draw as in a horse drawn wagon.
Well my response admittedly is general - for the time being - but I've got the side of the barn torn out and need to get a new post in there so got to go for now.
Greetings,
Don Wagstaff
