Japanese mountain cherry (yamazakura)

Overview

Yamazakura, Prunus jamasakura, is the Japanese mountain cherry, a wild flowering cherry rather than a plantation timber. Wikipedia records its wood in woodblock printing, in kabazaiku (a craft that uses the bark), and, in South Korea, in building, furniture, instruments and carving. I could not open a source for Janka, density or working properties, so none are given here. Consider it for fine carving and printing-block work, and treat its furniture use as established but thinly documented. For the better-documented European species see European cherry.

Pros

• A traditional printing and carving wood: Wikipedia names woodblock printing as a use.
• Wikipedia also notes use in furniture and instruments in South Korea.
• Bark is used in kabazaiku, so the tree has a craft tradition beyond timber.
• Wikipedia lists it as Least Concern.

Cons

• No hardness, density or shrinkage from a source I could open.
• Not a commercial lumber species in the US; I found no price.
• It is a wild flowering cherry, not a plantation timber, so supply of consistent stock is uncertain.

Variants and subspecies

• Prunus jamasakura var. jamasakura and var. chikusiensis are the two varieties Wikipedia names.
• Not the same as American black cherry or European wild cherry; see European cherry for the latter, and do not transfer their properties.

Working and finishing

I found no machining, gluing or finishing data for yamazakura. Test carving, glue and finish on an offcut before committing.

Staining and finishing colour

No stain data found for this species. Test on offcuts.

Sustainability and handling

Wikipedia lists P. jamasakura as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. I searched the Species+ database on 2026-09-30 and found no CITES listing. The Lacey Act bars US trade in plants taken in violation of law, and since the 2008 amendment covers timber. The EU deforestation regulation covers wood and furniture from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators. I found no sourced toxicity data for the wood, so extract the dust as for any hardwood.

Popular projects

Woodblock printing, bark craft, carvings, some furniture and instruments (per Wikipedia).

Buying notes

You are most likely to meet it as printing blocks or craft stock from Japanese suppliers. Ask for the Latin name and origin, because "cherry" is a trade term that covers several species.