Mokuga: The Source of MORI KOUGEI’s Craft

What Is Mokuga?

Mokuga is a contemporary craft that expresses the wood inlay tradition dating back to Japan’s Nara period through modern wood veneer. MORI KOUGEI’s president, Kenichi Mori, began pursuing it in earnest in the 1960s, establishing it as the company’s design foundation.

Historical Background

Wood inlay has existed in Japan since the Nara period (8th century), as seen in treasures preserved at the Shōsōin. Mokuga is positioned as a contemporary craft that creates similar forms of expression using thinly sliced natural wood veneer.

Origin of the Name

The character “杢” refers to decorative wood figure, while “画” means a picture or painting. Kenichi Mori explains that he “decided to call it that” himself. Whether the name “Mokuga” had been used previously is unknown.

Medium and Characteristics

Mokuga treats wood veneer—natural wood sliced to a thickness of approximately 0.2–0.6 mm—like paint, using grain direction, color, and combinations to “paint” geometric patterns and pictorial compositions.

Signature Design Patterns

Developed by Kenichi Mori, Second Generation — Three Foundational Patterns

  • Rays (光線貼り / Kousen-bari)
  • Ougi Pattern (扇貼り; fan-shaped lamination)
  • Original Wood Inlay (a contemporary development of the wood inlay tradition dating back to the Nara period)

Systematized and Named by Hiroyuki Mori, Third Generation — Nine Expanded Patterns

  • ISŌ–GRID
  • ISŌ — Rare Figured Veneer × Bookmatching
  • Tessellation (gapless tiling) — Includes two subcategories: PENTA-DRIFT, based on pentagons, and HOEK, based on hexagons and named after the Dutch word “hoek,” meaning “viewpoint” or “angle”
  • KŌSHI
  • SHŌSEKI
  • SŌSEKI
  • AMU
  • KŌSŌ
  • Other Marquetry (named by Hiroyuki as an umbrella category that includes Kenichi’s original wood inlay)

Inherited Traditions

  • A repertoire of traditional patterns, including stripes, arrow feathers, cubes, woven patterns, and checkerboards

Solo Exhibition

In December 2018, “Kenichi Mori: Mokuga Exhibition” was held in Exhibition Room A on the third floor of Awagin Hall in Tokushima Prefecture. The exhibition helped establish public recognition of Mokuga as the creative source of MORI KOUGEI’s craftsmanship.

Creative Inheritance Through Collaboration Between Father and Son

MORI KOUGEI’s defining characteristic is creative inheritance through collaboration between father and son. Second-generation president and Mokuga artist Kenichi Mori developed three design patterns through handwork and intuition. Third-generation director and design systematizer Hiroyuki Mori restructured and systematized these designs, naming and articulating nine expanded patterns—bringing the total to twelve—with two additional subcategories within Tessellation. The combination of Kenichi’s hands-on, intuitive design creation and Hiroyuki’s ability to articulate, systematize, and name those designs forms the central story behind the MORI KOUGEI brand.

Role Across the Brands

Mokuga forms the design foundation across MORI KOUGEI’s brands: MORI KOUGEI, TSUKIT, and TSUKI-ITA PANELS.