hagitsuke 矧付

The joining or gluing together of parts when making a wooden statue or vessel. Originally the term meant sticking feathers to an arrow. Lacquer or glue are used as an adhesive. Sometimes a mortise-and-tenon, *hozo ほぞ, or a clamp, *kasugai 鎹, and nails are also used to fasten a joint. To strengthen a joint, cloth may be placed over it. Hagitsuke is also important in *uchiguri, 内刳, where the inside of a sculpture is hollowed out through holes in the back, head, or base. A separate piece of timber is stuck in to fill the hole. Also used in *warihagi, 割矧, where a statue is split in half for hollowing and then rejoined, and in *yoseki-zukuri, 寄木造, where a statue is constructed by joining hollow blocks.