Kihada: Yellow Inner Bark and Green-Tinged Wood
Wood Dictionary
Kihada is a distinctive timber whose yellow-brown surface can have a gray-green cast. The “yellow” in its Japanese name refers not to paint on the wood, but to the vivid yellow inside its bark. It is a material to know when you want to enjoy both grain and color.
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.
Name and basic information
- Japanese names
- Kihada / Kiwada / Shikoro Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
- Scientific name and classification
- Phellodendron amurense / Genus Phellodendron, family Rutaceae Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
- English name
- Amur cork-tree Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
- Natural distribution
- Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, the Russian Far East, and neighboring regions Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
- Product veneer cut
- Flat cut MORI KOUGEI Kihada A4 Veneer Sheet
Shikoro is another name for Kihada
In Hokkaido and northeastern Japan, Kihada is also called Shikoro. Its outer bark is gray to brown, but the inner bark is a vivid yellow. That color gave rise to the Japanese name Kihada, or “yellow skin.” The scientific epithet amurense refers to the Amur region, also reflected in the English name Amur cork-tree. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
Although it belongs to the citrus family, its appeal as timber lies in a range of colors that cannot be summed up as simply yellow. The inner bark and the wood cut from the trunk are different parts of the tree. The origin of the name should not be treated as a color sample for the veneer. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
Large vessels and a yellow-brown surface
Kihada is ring-porous: rows of large vessels make the outlines of its growth rings prominent. Its heartwood is generally yellow-brown with a gray-green cast, distinctly separated from yellowish white sapwood. The relatively coarse texture offers a different kind of line from fine-textured pale birch or maple. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada / Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Shirakanba, Dakekanba, and Udaikanba / Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Itaya Maple
MORI KOUGEI describes its A4 product as yellow-toned, flat-cut veneer. Compare its color beside brown woods and observe how the growth rings spread across the surface to decide where to use it. As natural wood, its depth of color and greenish cast are not uniform. MORI KOUGEI Kihada A4 Veneer Sheet
Different uses for wood and bark
The timber has been used for furniture, crafts, interior fittings, and doors. The yellow inner bark is also known as the herbal material obaku and has been used as a dye. The veneer sheet is not an inner-bark product. This history illustrates how different parts of a tree serve different purposes. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
The wood is relatively light and soft, but is considered unsuitable where high resistance to impact is required. Separating an attractive color or grain from suitability for a load-bearing role helps you make appropriate use of the material. Hokkaido Research Organization, Forest Products Research Institute: Kihada
Combining colors piece by piece
MORI KOUGEI's A4 Kihada is natural wood veneer backed with washi paper, measuring 210 × 297 mm and approximately 0.25 mm thick. It is used for furniture edges, refacing or repairing flat wooden surfaces, marquetry, and similar work. It creates a visible wood surface over a substrate rather than replacing a thick board. MORI KOUGEI Kihada A4 Veneer Sheet
When combining Kihada with other woods in marquetry, test a small area, including the finish, to check that it gives the color contrast you want. For a larger surface, plan not just the color but also the direction of the flat-cut grain and the cutting positions. This helps preserve the pattern while reducing waste. MORI KOUGEI Kihada A4 Veneer Sheet
View the Kihada A4 veneer sheet ↗
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This article draws on publicly available sources from Japan and abroad, with AI used to support research and organization.