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Register Now! – October 25 & 26, 2025

We will host Kez 2025 at El Cerrito Community Center in El Cerrito, CA on the weekend of October 25 & 26, 2025.

While the program of events is still actively being organized, we already have many of the speakers and their presentation topics scheduled. Use the links above to view the presenters we already have lined up, to register or to see more logistical information about about the event and venue.

More events, speakers, and topics will be announced when they are confirmed, but you can count on demonstrations and talks from our community’s experts. In addition, experts will assist you with getting the most out of your own tools. There will be vendors throughout the weekend, and a planing competition on Sunday. We look forward to connecting with you there!

Timberframing Workshop, July 2025, Bonny Doon

Our July workshop was a great success. Led by Toby Hargreaves and Mia Norton, we had a full crew of 10 enthusiastic students. The team jumped right in and cut out a 20 foot by 15 foot frame with all hand tools including scribed log joinery, wedged through tenons, and 28 rafter scarf joints. Instruction was both one on one, and in group sessions, and students soaked up the new information, asked pointed questions, and shared their own insights. We finished out the week with a pizza party on the beach, and of course the beam raising where everyone saw the pieces they had been carefully shaping all week come together in a matter of a few hours. Thank you to everyone who attended and we’re looking forward to the next opportunity for a timberframing workshop!
(Scroll down to see a timelapse photo of the raising.)

Timelapse video of the raising

Japanese Boat Building with Douglas Brooks

Douglas has, since 1996, apprenticed under no fewer than nine Japanese master boat builders. While all the individual masters exhibited many similarities of craft, all of their particular boat types are significantly different in design and construction, as dictated by their particular uses in rivers, lakes, or oceans. What is most sobering is that, according to Douglas, all of these masters are well into their seventies and eighties without reliable apprentices to carry on their crafts, which have been centuries in the making. Read More …

Kezurou-kai USA is a diverse group of designers, builders, and makers with a deep interest in learning and perpetuating the practice of hand tool woodworking. Much of our inspiration comes from traditional Japanese woodworking, architecture, and construction. Today, Kezurou-kai USA works to support and promote this tradition of excellence by our efforts to introduce, train, and challenge interested individuals who want to make hand tools and techniques central to their work.

Learn more about our Mission, Vision and Values here.

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Kezurou-kai USA is an equal opportunity organization and does not discriminate against anyone based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, for its board of directors, staff, contractors, volunteers, providers or recipients of service, members, or any member of the public.

Kezuroukai USA is a non-profit educational organization: 501(3)(c) #47-5009584 Donations are tax-exempt.