Wood Inlay (Mokuzogan) Kenji

Wood Marquetry by Kenji
Wood marquetry is a wood art technique that expresses paintings and patterns using various natural woods.
In the Hakone-Odawara region, this technique was newly developed around the mid-Meiji period. By attaching a sewing machine saw to an electric jigsaw, patterns are cut out from a base plate according to drawn designs, and similarly cut-out wood pieces are fitted in to create paintings and designs.
The completed pieces are called tanaita (base plates) and are thinly shaved with a special large plane to create the final products.
This technique is a precious traditional craft with no global equivalent.
Main woods used in wood marquetry:
Aka-gusu, Katsura Jindai, Enju, Mayumi, Nigaki, Kurumi