About 1,400 years ago, in the Asuka era, the origin of kumikozaiku was brought with Buddhism from Korea. The style of kumikozaiku has changed to fit with Japanese people’s sense of beauty. At first, the skill and instrument of kumikozaiku were brought to Japan to build the temple. This is seen in Houryuji (法隆寺), which was built by Shoutokutaishi (聖徳太子). From the Heian period, the demand for kumikozaiku increased among noble families for their houses. In the Muromachi period, due to the development of the tea ceremony and Ikebana, shoin-zukuri (書院造), which is a simple Japanese style of residence. The kumikozaiku became more popular for the shoin-zukuri  (書院造) residences. In the Edo period, the styles of kumikozaiku were developed by many craftsmen. Currently, the number of patterns of the kumikozaiku is about 200, and almost all were created during the Edo period. They competed with each other and created various patterns (Abe Kogyo, 2020). Kumikozaiku is currently produced in the Tohoku region the most. This is because the Tohoku region has more Japanese-style houses, which allows craftsmen to survive (Edogawa-ku, 2022). On the other hand, in city areas, such as Tokyo or Osaka, craftsmen are decreasing due to the change of style of houses. 

Kumikozaiku is a form of traditional crafting technique where masters carve and shape wooden pieces and assemble them as if it were a puzzle. All the pieces are shaped with groove-like features so they can be binded without using nails or glue. The designs are famous for their distinctive patterns using linear and curved wooden pieces. Nowadays the patterns are said to have more than two hundred different types. It is most common for the Kumikozaiku to be made out of Japanese cypress or cedar for their natural traits of growing straight so it is easier for masters to carve shapes out of them. The wooden pieces are carefully shaped using planes, saws, and chisels so there is not even a slightest error in size for even one tenth of a difference in size can make the Kumikozaiku unable to assemble(Kumikozaiku - the inheritance of  the traditional heart, n.d.).