Ziricote (Shamgaki): Dark Patterns and a Japanese Trade Name
Wood Dictionary
This article discusses ziricote, a patterned timber known in Japan as shamgaki. The Japanese names jirikote, zerikote and shirikote also refer to ziricote. Here we explore the trade name and the dark patterns of the wood.
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 identification
- Trade names
- Ziricote / Shamgaki (Japanese trade name) Maruyone Shokai: Shamgaki (Ziricote, Japanese trade name)
- Botanical name and family of the generally identified species
- Cordia dodecandra A.DC. / Family Boraginaceae Maruyone Shokai: Shamgaki (Ziricote, Japanese trade name) / Kew: Cordia dodecandra
- Natural distribution of the generally identified species
- Central Mexico to Guatemala, and Cuba Kew: Cordia dodecandra
- MORI KOUGEI veneer sheets
- A4 (210 × 297 mm), approximately 0.25 mm thick, backed with industrial washi paper MORI KOUGEI: A4 veneer sheet product information
Persimmon in the name, not in the classification
Timber merchant Maruyone Shokai explains that shamgaki historically referred to a Thai timber in the persimmon family, and that the name later came to be used for ziricote. Here, Ziricote (Shamgaki) refers to that later trade usage. The generally associated species, Cordia dodecandra, belongs to Boraginaceae rather than the persimmon family, Ebenaceae. This general background does not identify the species or origin of individual sheets offered for sale. Maruyone Shokai: Shamgaki (Ziricote, Japanese trade name) / Kew: Cordia dodecandra
The species is native from Mexico to Guatemala and in Cuba. The word Siam in a trade name is not grounds for assuming that the wood comes from Thailand. The species' general distribution and the harvesting location of individual pieces sold in our store are also separate matters. Kew: Cordia dodecandra
Look at the relationship between dark lines and background color
Maruyone Shokai describes the heartwood as dark gray with a reddish cast and patterns of varying black tones, clearly distinct from the sapwood. To appreciate such figure, examine both the overall impression from a distance and the individual lines close up. Whether pale sapwood is present will also influence the finished composition. Maruyone Shokai: Shamgaki (Ziricote, Japanese trade name)
You might view the grain like a landscape or select a small part of its pattern as the focus of a compact surface. If placing two sheets side by side, distinguish between similar color and a pattern that actually continues across them. The pattern shown in a product photograph, or a symmetrical pairing, is not a standard promise for every sheet.
Using it as a decorative wood
Ziricote is generally used for decorative furniture surfaces and ornamental objects. Even among dark woods, the role of a material differs: ebony may be chosen chiefly for its blackness, while Ziricote (Shamgaki) may be chosen to display light-and-dark patterns. Let the lines you want to show and the area available guide the choice, rather than similarities between names. Maruyone Shokai: Shamgaki (Ziricote, Japanese trade name)
A4 paper-backed veneer
MORI KOUGEI's A4 product is a natural wood veneer sheet bonded to industrial washi paper, approximately 0.25 mm thick. Consider it as a decorative material to bond to a substrate, for furniture edges, small-object surfaces or wood inlay. Before gluing, use a template to select the area and prepare a flat substrate. Test the adhesive and finish on an offcut, working with the actual color and pattern of your sheet. MORI KOUGEI: A4 veneer sheet product information
View Ziricote (Shamgaki) A4 sheets ↗
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This article draws on publicly available sources from Japan and abroad, with AI used to support research and organization.