VILLAGE Report vol.14 Kanagawa Prefecture | Hakone Marquetry, Geometry Drawn Only with the Colors of Wood

For the 7th and final installment of the Kanto series, we visit Kanagawa Prefecture. Kanagawa is home to traditional crafts such as Kamakura-bori carving and Odawara lacquerware, but this time we explore Hakone Yosegi Zaiku, nurtured in the mountains of Hakone.

Patterns Drawn Only with the Colors of Wood

The defining feature of Hakone Yosegi Zaiku is that no color is painted on. Woods in many natural shades, including white, yellow, brown, and black, are combined to express precise geometric patterns using only the wood’s own color and grain. The Hakone mountain range is considered one of Japan’s richest areas for tree species, and this diversity of woods has supported the craft. For example, dogwood is used for white, nigaki for yellow, and Jindaigi, wood whose color has changed after being buried in the earth for many years, for black.

From Hatajuku in the Late Edo Period

Hakone Yosegi Zaiku is said to have begun in Hatajuku, a village along the old Hakone road of the Tokaido, in the late Edo period. It spread as a souvenir for travelers passing along the road. In May 1984, it was designated a national Traditional Craft Product as a woodcraft handed down in the Odawara and Hakone region.

Key Points
・Geometric patterns are expressed using the wood’s own color and grain, without paint
・The rich variety of tree species in the Hakone mountain range has supported the craft
・It is said to have begun in Hatajuku on the old Hakone road in the late Edo period
・Designated a national Traditional Craft Product in May 1984

“Zuku” and “Muku”

In Yosegi Zaiku, various woods are joined together to create a “seed block” with a patterned cross-section. The technique of shaving this thinly with a large plane and applying it to the surface of boxes and other objects is called “Zuku,” while the technique of carving the seed block itself into trays, bowls, and similar forms is called “Muku.” “Secret boxes,” which require a set sequence to open, are also known as representative pieces of Hakone Yosegi Zaiku.

Last time, we visited Edo Kiriko cut glass in Tokyo. VILLAGE Report vol.13 Tokyo is here. For highlights of Kanagawa Prefecture, see the Kanagawa Prefecture edition of our 47 Prefectures Guide. Next time, we begin the Chubu series with Niigata Prefecture.

References: Kanto District Transport Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Hakone Town; Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team