Fugu

Tetraodontidae, so named for their four beak-like teeth, are much more well known for their inflated personalities. These little fish have disproportionately puffed up personas that pack a poisonous punch. Pufferfish harbor tetrodotoxin, which if improperly prepared and ingested, causes fully conscious paralysis, so you will be acutely aware as you suffocate to death. But not to worry, this beautiful blow fish is all fun and games.

“I have been thinking about this puzzle for a while. I wanted to create an animal themed box and one animal the stuck out to me was the puffer fish. I was inspired by a puffer fish that I saw while snorkeling in the Caribbean a few years ago and also by the beautiful puffer fish lanterns that you can find all over Japan.”

Jason De George, a global digital marketing strategist who has been honing his woodworking skills via personal projects and crafting since he was a kid, thought this would be great inspiration for a puzzle box. In 2024 out of his garage in Chicago he launched Black Maple Workshop, his foray into formal woodworking crafts focused more specifically on puzzle boxes in the style of the Japanese Karakuri Creation Group masters. His first creation was a beautifully rendered omusubi rice ball in the traditional mountain shape crafted from maple and black limba woods. Despite its elegantly simple appearance, it’s actually quite challenging to open. His follow up is Fugu, an admittedly adorable pufferfish puzzle box. He told me a bit about the project.

Fugu puzzle by Jason De George — Beautiful packaging and bespoke artwork by Shisamu Iwase of A Design Lab in Osaka - courtesy of Jason De George

“This was an extremely difficult project filled with many new challenges for me. First was designing an animal shaped puzzle box that relatively looked like a puffer fish and was aesthetically pleasing. Then trying to figure out how to integrate all of the mechanisms inside as small an area as possible while making them structurally sound. Second was the materials that I used for the puzzle boxes. I found some beautiful leopardwood stock for the main body that I felt was able to replicate the prickly skin found in some puffer fish. Leopardwood overall is very dense and has a high tendency to tear out. Also I made a few special variants which were from even more dense woods and also some burl woods where I had to map out how to harvest the individual pieces I needed from a slab filled with cracks and pits.”

Jason made a limited edition in the leopardwood, but also crafted a few pieces in other exotic woods. Each one is special and unique. These were particularly challenges as he pushed the limits of his skills and fine tuned the details. “I struggled to find the right finish for the leopardwood boxes. Even after finding what I thought was the right one, I took a trip to Japan over the summer and brought a few boxes with me. One of the boxes did not seem to cure right in the extreme heat and humidity so I changed the finish again right before finishing all of the boxes.”

Fugu is an impressive object from a hobbyist woodworker. It’s beautifully crafted and has a nice sequence of trick moves to be discovered which ultimately allow access inside. Jason gave a shout out to another highly regarded puzzle designer who has lots of experience to share. “I want to say a huge thank you to Dee Dixon! I am always blown away by the support and encouragement of the woodworking community and Dee has been an amazing help to me in my start as a puzzle box craftsman. For the Fugu box, I reached out to him for support in resin printing a small component that plays a very big part in the smooth functioning and stability of this box. He was extremely helpful and got me the parts faster than I could have ever imagined. Solvers will never see the part he made but it is the reason the puzzle box opens smoothly and supports the final surprise feature you learn about when opening the box. Thank you Dee!!!”

What’s next for Black Maple? “I have 2 puzzle box designs that I will start to prototype after a well needed break. One is another animal themed box and the other is an object with a very fun opening. With all of my boxes I like to challenge myself with a different skill, tool and/or process, so I can continue to progress in my craft. Also I am working to build up to my goal of much larger and more complex boxes.”

Here's a toast to the Fugu with its namesake libation. The Fugu cocktail debuted at Forbidden Island, a tropical tiki oasis in Alameda, California which was opened in 2006 by brothers Michael and Mano Thanos along with tiki bar legend Martin Cate, famous for his Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. Cate created the rum rich and fruity delight for their opening menu and it has remained a classic ever since.

The original is designed to serve two and features a mix of rums with different profiles (like many great tiki cocktails), with lime, pineapple, and “secret spices”. These seem to include passionfruit, apricot and almond syrup, or at least that is how the drink has since been reverse engineered by other bartenders. I halved the recipe for just one, which was probably a good thing, since it went down a bit too easily. Cheers!

Fugu by Martin Cate

1 ½ oz blended aged rum

½ oz column still rum

½ oz apricot liqueur

½ oz orgeat

½ oz passion fruit syrup

1 oz pineapple

¾ oz lime

Blend with a cup of crushed ice and pour into a festive fish vessel. Top with more crushed ice.

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