Antique Knowledge

Antique Knowledge

Japanese Wood Types

桧 Hinoki Wood: Cypress

Hinoki wood is a species of cypress native to central Japan. This wood is lemon-scented, light pinkish-brown, with a rich, straight grain, and is highly rot-resistant. Horyuji Temple & Osaka Castle in Japan are built from hinoki wood.

柿 Kaki Wood: Persimmon

Kaki wood is also known as the Japanese persimmon tree, oriental persimmon, or Fuyu persimmon. Kaki trees are slow growing, small, and they produce sweet, juicy non-astringent persimmon fruit. Persimmon wood was heavily used to make a high quality head of golf clubs known as "woods" until the golf industry moved to metal clubs.

欅 Keyaki Wood: Zelkova

Keyaki wood is a species of the Zelkova tree in Japan. It is often used for bonsai. Keyaki wood is valued in Japan for building furniture and is considered the ideal wood for the creation of taiko drums.

桐 Kiri Wood: Paulowinia

Kiri wood or Paulownia wood, was named in honor of Anna Paulowna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of a Russian Tsar. It is also known as the "princess tree". Kiri wood is light, fine-grained, and warp-resistant. It's the fastest-growing hard wood and typically used for the creation of chests, boxes, & clogs.

紅葉 Momiji Wood: Maple

Momiji wood is also known as Japanese Maple - a welcome to Autumn due to its colorful leaves, Momiji translates to "baby hands" in Japanese. This wood is a popular choice for building furniture and for bonsai.

杉 Sugi Wood: Cedar

Sugi wood is known as Japanese cedar wood, a very large, fragrant evergreen tree. A strong yet lightweight wood, Sugi is waterproof and resistant to decay which is why it is so commonly found in antique furniture stores. The national tree of Japan where the oldest tree lives on Yakushima and estimated to be between 2,000 and 7,200 years old.

Periods in Japanese History

until 710 AD

Early Japan

710-1192 AD

Nara and Heian Periods

1192-1333 AD

Kamakura Period

1338-1573 AD

Muromachi Period

1573-1603 AD

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

1603-1868 AD

Edo Period

1868-1912 AD

Meiji Period

1912-1945 AD

Taisho and Early Showa Period

since 1945 AD

Postwar Period

Periods in Chinese History

581 - 618 AD

Sui Dynasty

618 - 906 AD

Tang Dynasty

907 - 960 AD

Five Dynasties

960-1279 AD

Song Dynasty

1279–1368 AD

Yuan Dynasty

1368–1644 AD

Ming Dynasty

1644–1911 AD

Qing Dynasty

1911–1949

Republic of China on mainland

1949–Present

People’s Republic of China

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