Cosmic Buddha
Fuji 1707
According to Mr. Puzzle (the original), the mountainous, momentous objective of this puzzling object “is to get Mt Fuji to blow it's top and find the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom, the Dainichi Nyorai.” Few puzzles offer such a clear path to enlightenment, but Mr. Puzzle (the original) is no mere mortal. You’ll need an open mind, and adventurous spirit and a keen knowledge of the oral traditions of the ancient world. A little research reveals that “Esoteric (Tantric) Buddhism is one of the three main schools of Buddhism in Asia”, and the deity “Dainichi ("Great Sun") is worshipped as the supreme, primordial sun Buddha and also appears as the central figure of the Five Wisdom Buddhas. The term Nyorai ("thus-come one") is an epithet for enlightened Buddhas that occupy the highest rank in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon” (Götan maailma Oy)
Fuji 1707 by Brian Young
Brian Young presented this mini mountain of mayhem at the International Puzzle Party held in 2010 in Osaka, Japan. The lovely little replica is crafted from Papua New Guinean Rosewood and the snow-capped peak is made from Queensland Silver Ash. The name refers not only to the original picturesque Japanese landmark, but also to the last time that the active volcano “blew it’s top” in recorded history, in 1707. But while the clever little sequential discovery puzzle is certainly able to stand on its own, the stories about it are perhaps even more entertaining, which is not surprising if you know what is required. If not, I’m sure you can use your imagination.
Sue Young shared a few memories with me about the puzzle. “I know there were big jokes at MPP about this for a while. It's not quite as straightforward as [redacted solution]. You know the poms [translation: Englishmen] are never that politically correct (I'm sure Steve [hazard a guess which one? You’re probably right] was involved, not to name names!!) so from Brian's recollection it was an unfortunate new lady member who came and was a bit setup.” Apparently the poms like to harass one another with inappropriate puzzles. When I also asked Sue if I was on the right track with the puzzle, she told me
“Always tricky to work out how much of a clue you're after so I'll start small and just say it’s the opposite of [redacted]. Still a little bit of puzzling involved after that.”
the path to enlightenment
Sue also shared a fascinating bit of puzzle history, about how the Fuji puzzle became the inspiration for a later Jury First Prize winner in the International Puzzle Design Competition. “Imagine our surprise when we got this email from James Dalgety about how he solved the puzzle! It started the discussion about how to solve a puzzle using "spolling". Fuji was never made to purposefully work that way but that’s how James did it. Eventually James Dalgety managed to perfect the design and made another IPP exchange puzzle called the DOT-BOX which Brian loves. Brian thought he could not make it precisely enough in wood to get the mechanism working and it even proved a challenge in 3D printing but Steve Nicholls and James eventually did get it to work. It won an award in the design comp”.
James Dalgety (former curator of the Hordern-Dalgety Collection PUZZLE MUSEUM, which is now part of the Miller collection) solved Brian Young’s Fuji puzzle in a most unusual way (as if the intended solution is not already unusual enough). His email began: “Hi Brian & Sue, I just solved your Exchange Puzzle and want to check that I did it correctly, and ask you why it works! It is brilliant - My favourite exchange so far.” He goes on to describe exactly how he solved the puzzle, which would give away both Fuji and his own invention, but for anyone extremely curious and in love with physics, he mentions “Euler’s Disc”. He concludes, incredulously, “Why on earth do the [redacted]???????? Please explain in words of not more than 2 syllables. Best wishes and Happy Metagrobologising. – James. It would seem, from James’ eventual award winning puzzle, that he did achieve enlightenment to his queries, after all.
My Boy Blue by Wyeth Maier
I’m offering something irreverent to whet your whistle for this cheeky little puzzle. The drink originated at Uva Wine and Cocktail bar in downtown Vancouver, where it was created by bartender Wyeth Maier. The drink is a delicious tequila and lime sour sweetened with notes of chocolate and berry. Did I say delicious? One sip and you’ll be whistling in admiration.
feelin blue
Information about the drink’s origin story is scarce, but no matter, it’s easy enough to imagine the scenario. There’s a bit of a pop culture reference here, from the film “Old School” starring Will Ferrell. In a funeral scene, Ferrell pays his respects to his departed fraternity brother, Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, and shouts, “You’re my boy, Blue!”, a phrase that has since been immortalized in memes and gifs by fans of the movie. Maier must have liked the line too, and shouted it after tasting his delicious new blue hued cocktail. Or someone must have, at any rate. Because - the drink doesn’t suck. Cheers!
enlightened pair
My Boy Blue by Wyeth Maier
1 ½ oz tequila
½ oz crème de cassis
¼ oz crème de cacao
¾ oz lime
½ oz egg white
Shake ingredients without and then with ice. Strain into a favorite glass and garnish (recommended with a dried orange wheel).
explore more: