Indigo-Dyed Veneer: Blue Color over White Sycamore Grain
WOOD DICTIONARY
Wood often brings brown to mind, but indigo-dyed veneer combines blue with the character of grain. “Indigo-dyed” describes a process, not a tree species. In this MORI KOUGEI product, indigo color is layered over the natural appearance of white sycamore.
The photographs are examples of the color and grain associated with each wood or figure. Every piece of natural wood is different; the sheet you receive will not have exactly the same color or grain as the photographs.
Names and basic facts
- Trade name and English description
- Indigo-dyed veneer MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer
- Base wood
- White sycamore, usually referring to sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer / Kew POWO: Acer pseudoplatanus
- Family
- Sapindaceae (formerly Aceraceae, the maple family) Kew POWO: Acer pseudoplatanus
- Dyeing method stated for the product
- Fermentation vat dyeing using Japanese indigo. The source region of the wood and the origin of the dye are separate information. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer
The wood name and the dyeing name
White sycamore belongs to the maple family of trees. Adding an indigo-dyeing process does not mean a blue-colored tree grows in the forest. The material combines the texture and figure produced by the tree with color introduced through dyeing. Comparing it with undyed white sycamore opens up an approach to choosing wood beyond simply using its natural color. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer / Kew POWO: Acer pseudoplatanus
Fermentation helps indigo develop its color
Our product is described as dyed in a fermentation vat using Japanese indigo. In this process, microorganisms help convert the blue indigo pigment into a water-soluble form. After the material takes up the dye, exposure to air converts it back into the blue pigment. This is a dyeing process, not the direct application of blue paint. It is a general explanation of fermentation vat dyeing, not the recipe used for an individual dye bath. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer / Tokushima Prefectural Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology Support Center: Getting to Know and Enjoy Indigo
The grain still flows within the blue
Rather than seeing the indigo as a single field of color, look at the direction in which the grain and figure move. The appearance and spacing of curl, as well as the depth of color, differ from sheet to sheet. Treat the fine pattern and blue shade in the photographs as examples of natural wood and dye working together, not as a fixed repeatable design. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer
A blue box lid, an edging strip beside pale wood, or one color within marquetry can create combinations unavailable with brown wood alone. Keeping the figure aligned or changing its direction can also alter the way the same color appears. MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer
Tokushima indigo meets thin wood veneer
Tokushima has preserved the tradition of making sukumo, fermented leaves used in indigo dyeing. Learning about this culture brings fresh interest to applying indigo not only to cloth but to a wooden surface. Our A4 product measures 210 × 297 mm and is approximately 0.25 mm thick, combining natural wood veneer with industrial washi paper. Consult the product guidance for application and finishing, and test compatibility with your actual adhesive and coating on a small area. How the color changes also depends on its surroundings and the finish. Tokushima Prefecture: Awa Indigo / MORI KOUGEI: Indigo-Dyed A4 Veneer
Dyeing process shown on the product page
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This article draws on publicly available sources from Japan and abroad, with AI used to support research and organization.