Jigsaw puzzles from Japan
Epoch 1500 + 400 small piece combination jigsaw puzzles
On this page: Available puzzles - Taking the challenge
The puzzles
 © Epoch 
Itsukushima sunsetA dramatic view of the great Torii of Itsukushima at sunset. This puzzle is quite a challenge: there is a lot of purple, and a lot of shadow.
 In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17106 (17-106 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Charles Wysocki Garden creatures (Wysocki)This picture is full of animals — cows, sheep, and horses — but the "garden creatures" of the title must be the topiary figures in the formal garden, one just receiving a trim.  The American artist Charles Wysocki (1928-2002) was born in Detroit, but spent almost all his working life on the West Coast of the USA, in Los Angeles, and in Lake Arrowhead where he settled, just to the east. His rather charming primitive style is instantly recognisable: full of warm wit, but rigidly refusing to comply with any conventional "rules" of perspective.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17109 (17-109 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Harai Kayomi / Studio Oz Fire-breathing dragon and tiger (Kayomi)The confrontation between traditional rivals the tiger and dragon, this time portrayed by Kayomi with the tiger standing firm on a rock, facing the dragon across a fiery sea. No biographical details available. She signs her given name Kayomi in Roman letters.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17107 (17-107 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Kentaro Nishino Keeping close (Nishino)A mother tiger keeps her cubs protected at the water's edge. Kentaro Nishino was born in 1980, in Kanazawa on the Japan Sea coast, and graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2003. He takes his inspiration from nature, while lending his own air of fantasy. Nishino is his family name, but he signs his work "Kentaro N".
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17101 (17-101 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Epoch 
Floating pavillion, NaraThe floating pavillion in Nara Park was reconstructed in the early 1990s, when the original from 1916 had deteriorated. Octagonal in form, it has a shingled roof of hinoki bark. Reflected in Sagi-ike, or the "pond of the heron" it is always beautiful, but particularly in the summer when the connecting bridge and the banks of the pond are decorated with candles.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17603 (17-603 on box) Retail price ¥3500 (approx. US$36.84 €28.23 £23.81) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Seizo Watase / Apple Farm Rainbow happy time (Watase)We are somewhere in southern Europe, where love can be conducted from balcony to balcony... Born in 1945, Watase took a law degree from Waseda University, then spent two decades as a "salaryman" while drawing manga in his spare time. He retired in 1985 to dedicate himself to his art, which ranges from manga to commercial illustration.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30") Code: E17110 (17-110 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © JTB photo 
Great barrier reefThis is "Heart Island", in the Great Barrier Reef off north-east Australia. And this is a classic "puzzler's puzzle", selected to be a tough challenge.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17105 (17-105 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1450 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$15.26 €11.69 £9.86) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Sev Ickes Family picnic (Ickes)The whole family, assembled in the garden, are only a part of this cornucopia of fun... Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1943, Sev Ickes is a self-taught painter in the "primitive" style. Her paintings are bright and direct representations of memories, with no concessions to perspective.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17113 (17-113 on box) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$41.05 €31.45 £26.53) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
 © Epoch 
Shiraito fallsShiraito-no-taki, or "White-thread falls" is just west of Mt. Fuji. With a drop of 25 m, and a total width of 200 m, this is only the most famous of many waterfalls of this name.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1900 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20") Code: E17601 (17-601 on box) Retail price ¥3500 (approx. US$36.84 €28.23 £23.81) Shipping from ¥1300 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.68 €10.48 £8.84) Buy this puzzle Add to basket All about ordering (please read first) |
Combination of 1500 + 400 small-piece puzzlesTaking the challenge
Of the puzzle manufacturers, Epoch is easily the largest company, being a general toy producer with puzzles as perhaps 20% of total sales. While size sometimes reminds us of dinosaurs, Epoch's general approach is very dynamic — coming out with many new ideas. They were at the forefront of the "small-piece" shift a few years ago, and are currently producing an array of graded puzzles (1-kyu, 2-kyu, and so on as in judo; 1-kyu being the top level).
So what does this icon mean? This is one of the 1-kyu puzzles, selected to be a challenge, and you can see me tackling it on the right. Tip out the pieces, and it looks like an ordinary puzzle, of 2000 smallish pieces, but particularly if you start puzzles the way I do — in the middle, and without looking at the picture — something unexpected happens as the picture emerges.
Ta-da! The completed puzzles...
My opinion? Yes, this was fun to do, and definitely quite a challenge, though the difficulty lies in the image itself, which is clearly chosen to be difficult. Having a part duplicated provides extra clues: once you recognise a colour or texture in one copy, this makes it easier to sort out the other copy. I would definitely recommend trying one of these puzzles for a slight change of tempo — and it might make a good present for an enthusiast friend (unless you can read Japanese, it's not immediately clear from the box what is going on)!
Note that the pieces from the two puzzles are very close in size (within a couple of percent), and varied enough that it is not possible to sort them into two piles before starting.
