Patterns in Our Japanese Puzzle Boxes

Aeasa Pattern

Intricate pattern made up of tiny pyramids of yellow wood surrounded by white wood sections with fine dark brown wood separating each piece. Name translates to yellow linen.

Akaasa Pattern

Starburst pattern made from shades of red wood with fine white wood lines separating each piece. Name translates to Red Linen.

Ichimatsu Pattern

Great little checkerboard pattern made from five different types of wood each cut into tiny squares less than a quarter inch across. 

Hagome Pattern

Alternating light and dark wood circles with adjoining corners in checkerboard red and white wood.

Kiasa Pattern

Starburst pattern made from yellow wood with fine brown wood lines separating each piece. Name translates to Yellow Linen.

Beautiful and rare pattern made by combining pieces of Kiasa, Akaasa, and Kuroasa patterns. This pattern is generally reserved for limited addition boxes with 50 or more moves.

Kirichigai / Cross Pattern

Whimsical pattern combining brown and white checkerboard patterns with criss-crossing white wood highlighted by five layer v's in brown, white, and red.

Kuroasa Pattern

Starburst pattern made from shades of dark brown and black wood with fine white wood lines separating each piece. Name translates to Dark Linen.

Saya Pattern

Attractive brown wood pattern with white wood separating each piece. Arranged in a design that makes you think of a jigsaw puzzle. The Saya pattern is also made with yellow wood.

Uroko Pattern

Named for the scales of a fish, the Uroko pattern uses brown, red, white, and yellow wood to form pinwheel designs intended to mimic the scales of a fish.

Yosegi Pattern

The Yosegi pattern is the original and still most popular design used to make Japanese Puzzle Boxes. Originally a way to use the small leftover pieces that remained after making furniture and larger pieces, this design quickly became the most popular and now new designs are developed just to add to the Yosegi sheets. Means to put wood together.

The Notches pattern is made up of zigzag rows of natural colored woods including yellow, white, brown, and purple woods. This pattern is used exclusively by Mr. Oka.

The MawariYabane pattern is a whimsical pattern made of alternating zigzags connected to a central square. The name translates roughly to unique and silly.

The Black Hana pattern is pinwheel design with embedded triangle shapes at each intersection. This is a perfect example of the extra details added to each of these works of art. Rather than being satisfied with the basic pinwheel design, which in itself is beautiful, the artist went further to add this additional detail.

The Red Hana pattern is pinwheel design with embedded triangle shapes at each intersection. This is a perfect example of the extra details added to each of these works of art. Rather than being satisfied with the basic pinwheel design, which in itself is beautiful, the artist went further to add this additional detail.

This is from one of our Muku boxes. Muku boxes are unique in that instead of a veneer, the patterns in the wood go all the way through making it a much more valuable piece and more difficult to make. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

This is from one of our Muku boxes. Muku boxes are unique in that instead of a veneer, the patterns in the wood go all the way through making it a much more valuable piece and more difficult to make. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

This is from one of our Muku boxes. Muku boxes are unique in that instead of a veneer, the patterns in the wood go all the way through making it a much more valuable piece and more difficult to make. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

This is from one of our Muku boxes. Muku boxes are unique in that instead of a veneer, the patterns in the wood go all the way through making it a much more valuable piece and more difficult to make. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

This is from one of our Zougan inlay boxes. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

This is from one of our Zougan inlay boxes. This pattern give the illusion that the surface is woven when viewed from a couple feet away.

Zougan marquetry is the art of creating portraits by cutting each tiny piece of the picture and assembling them. This is an example of the art using dyes to add color and character to the piece. Because of the amount of labor required, each of these boxes are limited editions.

Zougan marquetry is the art of creating portraits by cutting each tiny piece of the picture and assembling them. This is an example of the art using dyes to add color and character to the piece. Because of the amount of labor required, each of these boxes are limited editions.

Zougan marquetry is the art of creating portraits by cutting each tiny piece of the picture and assembling them. This is an example of the art using dyes to add color and character to the piece. Because of the amount of labor required, each of these boxes are limited editions.

Zougan marquetry is the art of creating portraits by cutting each tiny piece of the picture and assembling them. This is an example of the art using dyes to add color and character to the piece. Because of the amount of labor required, each of these boxes are limited editions.

Zougan marquetry is the art of creating portraits by cutting each tiny piece of the picture and assembling them. This is an example of the art using only the natural colors of the wood to create the different parts. Because of the amount of labor required, each of these boxes are limited editions.