Dave, the sledge and chisel in the vid, I thought confusing as well. Those are some European guys that were learning some techniques, they must have brought their tools with them, or it was some kind of joke. It isn't the normal approach to be holding wood under a desk lamp or using such gear.
The vast majority of such joining methods are done with dry wood, a combination of both green or semi green, and dry wood, is often the approach to timber frame in these parts. By far the most complex work is on temples and shrines, where there are big budgets, thanks to the members of those places or outside support, and long periods of preparation, and it isn't just the average carpenter that builds those structures, but specialists that comprise a different trade to do the work. At my friend, crazy priest's place, they must have started logging timber on his mountain around four or five years in advance to get the wood that was needed. I did some of the logging right around where the old temple stood. i know he was going around like a mf soliciting contributions from his large congregation, collected 7 million dollars, the old tried and true method of letting everyone know who wants to give the most. The guys that built it were the pinnacle of that type of carpentry profession, with the lineage of master and apprentice going way back. Your average neighborhood temple might be a two year project once the construction starts, and well in advance of that to begin the preparation. As far as the Asian side of things, anyone interested in timber frame should visit a place like Kyoto to see wooden buildings that are national treasures, that really can define what highly advanced skills can produce in the trade of carpentry. There are a few blokes around that deserve to have rose petals thrown at their feet when they walk, and often still working beyond retirement age, because of the rarity and need for what they know. They don't look different in their gray uniforms, but when they point their fingers, the underlings dance.