Tucked away in one of Dublin’s sunny fields, there is an authentic Japanese house, complete with a multi-level pond and traditional gardens.

Clumps of hardy bamboo line the pond, and a hand-carved wooden bridge spans the waterfall between the two levels. 

Every inch of the house was built by hand with Japanese carving  tools, from the roof beams to the foundation, and from the traditional sliding paper shoji screens to the floorboards. Inside, the house has hand-carved traditional Japanese furniture, woodwork, doors, windows and storage. Every detail is authentic to Japanese design and tradition. 

The house and garden are a 20-year labor of love by woodworker and builder Paul Tuller.

“It’s been 21 years since I bought a pile of beams that were starting to warp, and 20 years since I put up the frame,” Tuller said on a visit to the house last week. 

Tuller will tell the story of the Japanese house on Friday, Feb. 7, at “Stories to Share” at the Jaffrey Civic Center. The talk and slideshow begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. 

In 1980, Tuller, a woodworker and carpenter, took a class on Japanese woodworking tools and technique, never dreaming it would change the course of his life. He became an expert in Japanese building and design, and for 15 years, made his living building authentic Japanese houses, rooms and furnishings for clients around New England. Tuller said most of his clients were couples with one Japanese person and one non-Japanese person. 

“Often, Japanese people had a hard time believing I could build something in truly authentic Japanese style,” Tuller said. “I didn’t work for many couples who were both Japanese.”

Some of Tuller’s clients were people who were passionate about Japanese design, including academics and historians.

“Sometimes I would get people who wanted me to build something that just looked sort of Japanese, but I couldn’t help them,” Tuller said. “To build it in the actual Japanese style with the hand tools is not quick, and it is not cheap.” 

Tuller has carefully documented the story of the construction of the house, which came about as a result of an exhibit comparing  traditional  Japanese  and American colonial homes atthe Brattleboro Museum in 1997. Tuller will share his photos of the process, from the carving of the first beams to the recent completion of the Japanese pond and gardens behind his home in Dublin.

The Japanese house is hidden away down the hill from the house Tuller built and shares with his wife, Mary Loftis. Tuller and Loftis have considered opening the house to the public, but logistics and safety, especially with the pond, make it difficult.

“We’re always happy to show people the house. People are curious,” Tuller said. “I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about the house and answer people’s questions. It really is quite a story.” 

For information about Jaffrey Civic Center Stories to Share, go to jaffreyciviccenter.com/stories.