Exotic Wood used in Japanese Zougan Marquetry

The mountains surrounding the town of Hakone in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan hold an amazing collection of exotic trees, many of which have been used in the art of Zougan. (wood marquetry and inlay) Below are samples of some of the wood from those trees. As you can see, there is no need for dyes or stains to make the beautiful colors and patterns in our Japanese Puzzle Boxes. A Yosegi patterned box could use over a dozen different species of wood. Exotic Wood Samples