Hakone Yosegi-Zaiku

Hakone yosegi-zaiku is a traditional wood marquetry craft from Hakone, in which strips of different woods are glued together to form repeating geometric patterns. It started in Hatajuku, a small village on the old Tokaido highway between Hakone-Yumoto and Lake Ashi, and it is a designated Traditional Craft of Japan. The colors in each pattern come from the woods themselves.

You can watch artisans at work, try a short workshop and buy pieces in Hatajuku and Hakone-Yumoto. Hakone's famous puzzle boxes are made with the same technique.

History of Hakone yosegi-zaiku

The craft is credited to Ishikawa Nihei (1790–1850), a craftsman from Hatajuku. He used the wide range of trees growing in the Hakone mountains to get light and dark tones without dye. The exact start date is unknown, but the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold described Hakone woodwork in his account of a journey through the area in 1826.

Hatajuku was a minor rest stop on the Tokaido in the Edo period, and travelers bought woodwork there as souvenirs. About a dozen yosegi craftspeople still live and work in the village. Hamamatsuya, a workshop and store in Hatajuku, is run by Ishikawa Nihei's descendants.

How yosegi-zaiku is made

Artisans first cut wood into thin rods of different shapes. The rods are glued into a block so that the end grain shows a pattern. That block is then used in one of two ways.

• Veneer sheets: the block is shaved with a large hand plane into sheets as thin as 0.2 millimeters. These sheets are pasted onto boxes, trays and other items.

• Solid pieces: the block is carved or turned on a lathe into objects such as cups and plates.

Imported woods are now used alongside local ones to widen the range of colors.

Himitsu-bako puzzle boxes

The best-known yosegi product is the himitsu-bako, or secret box. It opens only when panels on its sides are pushed and slid in the right order.

Where to see and buy yosegi-zaiku in Hakone

• Hatajuku Yosegi Kaikan: a free exhibition hall that explains the process with panels and tools. It has a live demonstration corner and a shop, and a coaster-making session costs 1,200 yen. The Hatajuku Yosegi Kaikan page on Hakone Navi has the current details.

• Hamamatsuya: a family workshop in Hatajuku where you can watch artisans and buy their work. Workshop visits need an appointment.

• Honma Yosegi Museum: a small museum and shop in Hakone-Yumoto with a coaster workshop for 1,000 yen.

• Kanazashi Wood Craft: offers coaster workshops for 1,000 yen at set times through the day.

Shops along Hakone-Yumoto's shopping streets also sell boxes, coasters and chopsticks if you do not have time to reach Hatajuku.

How to get to Hatajuku

Take the Hakone Tozan Bus K line from Hakone-Yumoto Station to the Hatajuku stop, about 15 minutes. The Yosegi Kaikan is a 3-minute walk from the stop.

Hatajuku sits on the old Tokaido road, so it pairs well with the old teahouse on the Tokaido further up the hill toward Lake Ashi.

A Hakone art and nature tour by private car stops at that teahouse in Hatajuku.