From around 2006, the Japanese puzzle manufacturers have been engaged in a battle for the "smallest". Starting with puzzles of one-and-a-half to two times as many pieces in the standard dimensions, these were merely small (and Japanese puzzles are typically 10% or so larger in area than European or North American puzzles of the same piece count). Then Tenyo produced a "World Smallest 1000-piece" series*, earning a place at Guinness World Records, shortly to be overtaken by Beverly, with 1000-piece puzzles at 300-piece size. These tiny pieces are not for the faint of heart, and you will need patience, delicate fingers, and very good eyesight!
Update April 2013 ...and now from Apollo, 1053 pieces (at the same 300-piece size)!
* A3 size: two sheets of A4, or very roughly two sheets of "Letter" size if you're in the US.
Meanwhile, the latest from Yanoman is a series of postcard-sized 200-piece puzzles - these don't claim to break any records, but the pieces are even tinier, and the set includes a pair of plastic tweezers for those with blunt fingers. (See separate page)
Katsushika Hokusai
The artist Katsushika Hokusai is best known for his series of 36 views of Mount Fuji, in the bold and simple style of the Ukiyo-e (or "floating world") style. He changed his name several times, so this is only the best-known of his brush names; as is the tradition, Hokusai is his given name (a fact that has plainly confused at least one art reference book).
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Mickey and friends in the central circle are surrounded by all the Disney characters through the ages...
 This puzzle has TINY pieces!
 In stock
A Tenyo puzzle: 1000 pieces; 42 x 30 cm (17" x 12")
Code: TDW10260 (DW-1000-260 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥600 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.32 €4.84 £4.08)
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Mickey the explorer shows us some of the great heritage sites of the world: Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the pyramids...
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Tenyo puzzle: 1000 pieces; 42 x 30 cm (17" x 12")
Code: TDW10286 (DW-1000-286 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Tenyo puzzle: 1000 pieces; 42 x 30 cm (17" x 12")
Code: TDW10259 (DW-1000-259 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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A story-telling puzzle - of Pooh and the big storm...
This puzzle has TINY pieces!  Out of stock
More stock expected May 22
A Tenyo puzzle: 1000 pieces; 42 x 30 cm (17" x 12")
Code: TDW10261 (DW-1000-261 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Amazingly well-preserved buildings line this street in Tsumago, a staging point where the old Nakasendo road begins to climb over the Japan Alps.
On the right, a red traditional umbrella provides a splash of colour outside the famous Matsushiroya inn. Here's how to read the signs in the picture; the juku means "a place to stay", referring to the town's status as a staging point.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BS71810 (S71-810 on box)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$16.84 €12.90 £10.88)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Fuji towers above the village of Oshino, with its preserved old cottages and placid millpond.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BS71803 (S71-803 on box)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$16.84 €12.90 £10.88)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Famous as the best-preserved example of Japanese castle building, the historical origins of Himeji castle are said to date back to the building of a fort in 1333. From a supposed resemblance to the outstretched wings of a bird, it is also known as "White Heron Castle."
Himeji Castle website (includes English version)
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BS71809 (S71-809 on box)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$16.84 €12.90 £10.88)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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This huge gateway stands in Asakusa, at the heart of old Tokyo. Although usually known as Kaminarimon, or "Lightning gate" as written on the giant lantern (about 4 m tall, sponsored by Matsushita Electric), it is officially called Furaijin-mon, after the gods of wind (fu) and thunder (rai), who sit on either side. Like all other buildings in the area, this was reconstructed after being completely destroyed in the Second World War.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BS71818 (S71-818 on box)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$16.84 €12.90 £10.88)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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These are all very intricate designs — mandalas, full of tiny figures, Naoki Tanaka's "Sights" series (more tiny figures!), and mosaic puzzles made from upwards of one thousand tiny images...
© Hiroshi Yagi
Shaka Nyorai is the Buddha, sitting serenely in the middle of this world-view, and surrounded by more holy figures—outside this inner sanctum are scenes from the profane world, of lotus ponds, music, and the rest.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! This puzzle is supplied with a magnifying glass. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 26 x 38 cm (10" x 15")
Code: BM81508 (M81-508 on box)
Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$23.16 €17.74 £14.97)
Shipping from ¥600 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.32 €4.84 £4.08)
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Behind the Statue of Liberty are all the other famous landmarks of New York, and the buzz of street life...
Born in Tokyo in 1957, Tanaka graduated from Musashino Art University, and has achieved considerable success as an illustrator. His series of omnibus portrayals of famous sights has been widely adopted for use in jigsaw puzzles produced both in Japan and elsewhere: these are lively images, bending perspective at will to capture the essence of a location.
Naoki is his given name.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! This puzzle is supplied with a magnifying glass. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BM81513 (M81-513 on box)
Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$23.16 €17.74 £14.97)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Leonardo's enigmatic lady... painted around 1502-1506, and also known as La Gioconda.
The detail image shows the subject's right eye.
Leonardo da Vinci, Italian, 1452 – 1519, perhaps the most famous painter who ever lived, was also a prolific inventor, scientist, and engineer.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! This puzzle is supplied with a magnifying glass. This puzzle picture is made from more than a thousand tiny images. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 26 x 38 cm (10" x 15")
Code: BM81511 (M81-511 on box)
Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$23.16 €17.74 £14.97)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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The famous bits of Rome all rearranged in this lively image.
Born in Tokyo in 1957, Tanaka graduated from Musashino Art University, and has achieved considerable success as an illustrator. His series of omnibus portrayals of famous sights has been widely adopted for use in jigsaw puzzles produced both in Japan and elsewhere: these are lively images, bending perspective at will to capture the essence of a location.
Naoki is his given name.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! This puzzle is supplied with a magnifying glass. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BM81503 (M81-503 on box)
Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$23.16 €17.74 £14.97)
Shipping from ¥600 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.32 €4.84 £4.08)
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Over 3000 scenic photos of Japan make up this version of Himeji Castle, famous as the best-preserved example of Japanese castle building, whose historical origins are said to date back to the building of a fort in 1333.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! This puzzle is supplied with a magnifying glass. This puzzle picture is made from more than a thousand tiny images. In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: BM81521 (M81-521 on box)
Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$23.16 €17.74 £14.97)
Shipping from ¥600 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.32 €4.84 £4.08)
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Snoopy and the gang study a somehow lively looking collection of dinosaurs
For fifty years Charles M Schulz (1922-2000) drew the Peanuts cartoon strip, featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang, who have become some of the best-known characters all over the world.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! Out of stock
More stock expected May 22
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P47701 (47-701 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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© Studio Morita / Studio Oz Inc
Agemaki is the courtesan in the classic kabuki play Sukeroku yukari no Edo zakura, a story of her suicide pact with her lover Sukeroku. Here Haruyo portrays her in gorgeous pose on her ornate multi-layered kimono.
The artist Morita Haruyo studied both Japanese art and kimono design, and she combines these with elements of her own Western-influenced technique. (She travelled to London in 1977, exactly the year I [Brian Chandler] first came to Tokyo.)
Morita is her family name: she follows the tradition of signing - and sealing - paintings with her given name only.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! Out of stock
More stock expected May 22
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 26 x 38 cm (10" x 15")
Code: P49703 (49-703 on box)
Retail price ¥2300 (approx. US$24.21 €18.55 £15.65)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Mt. Fuji from the east, this time from a beautifully kept Japanese garden in Oshino.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P49604 (49-604 on box)
Retail price ¥2100 (approx. US$22.11 €16.94 £14.29)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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Weeping cherry trees, many up to 200 years old, line the streets of the samurai area of the town of Kakunodate.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P47603 (47-603 on box)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$18.95 €14.52 £12.24)
Shipping from ¥600 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.32 €4.84 £4.08)
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A dramatic view of the great Torii of Itsukushima at sunset. This puzzle has interesting contrasts between the sea, the sky, and the stone lanterns.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P49706 (49-706 on box)
Retail price ¥2300 (approx. US$24.21 €18.55 £15.65)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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The four gods, the white tiger and blue dragon to west and east, Genbu the entwined snake/turtle to the north, and a splendidly flamboyant Suzaku (the red bird) occupying the foreground. All this in Kayomi's distinctive warm tones making a rich and impressive picture.
No biographical details available. She signs her given name Kayomi in Roman letters.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P49701 (49-701 on box)
Retail price ¥2300 (approx. US$24.21 €18.55 £15.65)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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One of the best-known landmarks of modern Tokyo, Rainbow Bridge connects one of the growing number of islands created in Tokyo Bay to the original shoreline.
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P49606 (49-606 on box)
Retail price ¥2100 (approx. US$22.11 €16.94 £14.29)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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The seven gods of good fortune sit surrounded not only by the usual collection of treasure, but also by a large dragon and all the other Chinese zodiac animals, with a red Fuji in the background for good measure.
Ryutei is almost certainly a brushname, but absolutely no other details of the artist are available...
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P47702 (47-702 on box)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$21.05 €16.13 £13.61)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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© Kentaro Nishino
Families, from white tigers to a clutch of ducklings, coexist peacefully in this forest glade...
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".
This puzzle has TINY pieces! In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 1053 pieces; 26 x 38 cm (10" x 15")
Code: P49708 (49-708 on box)
Retail price ¥2300 (approx. US$24.21 €18.55 £15.65)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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A typical Kayomi scene, as the fierce-looking tiger faces off the wily dragon...
No biographical details available. She signs her given name Kayomi in Roman letters.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size. In stock
An Apollo puzzle: 600 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: P49306 (49-306 on box)
Retail price ¥2100 (approx. US$22.11 €16.94 £14.29)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$5.26 €4.03 £3.40)
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With pieces even smaller than the 1000-piece puzzles on this page, these 204-piece puzzles present a real challenge. The range includes Ukiyo-e prints, Tokyo scenes, Hello Kitty character vignettes, and classics of Western art - see the whole collection
Petit
View puzzles - Postcard size, with tiny pieces
