Kabazaiku Naga-bon - Wooden Cherry Bark Tray

This sleek wooden tray is made of black-dyed paulownia and decorated using the traditional kabazaiku (樺細工) technique in which a thin veneer of hand-scraped and polished cherry bark is carefully applied to a wooden core. Here, the cherry bark is cut into squares paired with squares of Japanese Wingnut veneer.

As a stylish variation of the classic naga-bon (long tray - 長盆), this tray is ideal for presenting multiple cups of sencha.

Made by Tomioka in Daisen, Akita Prefecture.

The Kabazaiku (樺細工, also 桜皮細工) technique of hand-scraping, polishing, and pasting wild cherry bark is unique to Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, where the technique was brought to the town of Kakunodate (角館) in Akita by the Satake family of samurai in the 1700s.

To clean, wipe with a damp cloth. Avoid washing or soaking the tray as this can weaken the paste that holds the cherry bark to the wood.