Ogontan: Bocote's Yellow Tones and Dark Stripes
Wood Dictionary
Ogontan, written 黄金檀 in Japanese, is a timber also familiar by the name bocote. The contrast between its yellowish ground and dark stripes is one reason it is used in crafts. It is a wood whose grain can be enjoyed almost as a design in its own right.
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
- Trade names
- Ogontan / Bocote Nohara Kogei: Bocote / MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
- General classification
- Treated as a group of timbers in the genus Cordia USDA Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods
- Scientific name
- The species of the timber sold has not been identified. MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
- MORI KOUGEI sheet
- A4 (210 × 297 mm); approximately 0.25 mm thick; industrial washi paper backing MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
Bocote and Ogontan
Nohara Kogei, a maker of wooden writing instruments, lists Bocote under several Japanese spellings and gives Ogontan as another name. USDA commercial-timber references treat Bocote as a group containing several Cordia species. This article follows that trade-name scope rather than limiting the wood to a single species. Nohara Kogei: Bocote / USDA Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Woods
The contrast of ground color and black lines
Bocote is described as having black stripes against a yellow ground. Rather than viewing it simply as a yellow wood, consider how much space the dark lines occupy, the gaps between them, and how they curve. This helps you choose the part to use. A narrow cut shape will also retain a different pattern from a broad surface. Nohara Kogei: Bocote
On a simple rectangular lid, for example, the natural pattern can become the feature within the outline. A narrow band beside dark wood or a small area of marquetry offers another way to explore the color contrast. Lay a template over the veneer before use and consider how many lines you want to show.
General uses in craft
Nohara Kogei uses Bocote for wooden pens. Furniture, musical instruments, and Buddhist altar fittings are among its other reported uses, but these require timber with the appropriate thickness and form. An A4 veneer sheet cannot be carved directly into a pen barrel or tool handle. Choose a material form suited to the intended use. Nohara Kogei: Bocote / MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
Bringing the pattern into a thin sheet
MORI KOUGEI's Ogontan is an A4 sheet measuring 210 × 297 mm and approximately 0.25 mm thick, made from natural wood veneer with an industrial washi paper backing. Consider it for surfaces bonded to a substrate, such as decorative facing on small objects and furniture edges, refacing flat wooden surfaces, and marquetry. MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
Test adhesion and finishing on an offcut. Plan the overall layout before cutting to preserve the dark lines where you want them, leaving any necessary margins. Choosing natural wood means deciding which character to use in the actual sheet, rather than reproducing the stripes in a photograph. MORI KOUGEI A4 Veneer Sheet Product Information
View the Ogontan 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.