Woodworking Bunt, Weekly Short-Short Note, 608 characters

As I passed by the community center, someone was handing out flyers.
"We are holding a woodworking class taught by a temple carpenter. Would you like to join?"
The flyers ran out right before it reached me, but I signed up immediately.

Temple carpenters are known for their techniques of joining wood without nails or glue, by inserting one piece into a hole in another or by carving jagged surfaces to make the wood pieces interlock perfectly.

If I could learn woodworking from such a person, there would be nothing better.


On the day of the class, a burly instructor was in the room.

"We'll start by joining wood to wood!"

On the desk were pieces of processed wood, and for some reason, a baseball bat and a ball.

I picked up the parts and tried to fit the protrusion into the hole. It was tight and only went in halfway.

In a case like this, you would usually tap it in with a wooden mallet, but I couldn't find one.

I picked up the bat.

"Hey! You'll damage the bat!"
The instructor shouted and threw the ball right at my face.
Reflexively, I held the piece of wood up in front of my face.

The ball hit the wood and rolled onto the floor.
When I looked, the joint that had been halfway in was now a little deeper.

"It went in, didn't it? We'll keep doing this until it's in properly!"

The second ball, the third, the fourth. The joint gradually went deeper and deeper.

"Don't let the impact escape! Don't miss the sweet spot! Keep your wrists firm!"
What kind of instruction is this? A woodworking bunt?

"Teacher, are you really a temple carpenter?"
"No, I am Miyadai, the manager of a youth baseball team. I'm also known as a woodworking master around here."
"Miyadai-kun? A woodworking class taught by Miyadai-kun..."