Katsura

Overview

Katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, is a Japanese hardwood best known in woodworking circles as a go-board wood. Wikipedia says the tree is grown in Japan for timber used in construction and woodworking. Its go equipment article lists katsura, with spruce, as a light-coloured, fine-grained wood suited to boards, a step down from kaya. I could not open a source giving Janka, density or working properties, so this entry gives none. Treat it as a pale, even hardwood for boards and joinery and test a sample.

Pros

• A recognised board wood: Wikipedia's go equipment article describes katsura as light-coloured, fine-grained and suitable for go boards.
• Cheaper than kaya: the same article puts non-kaya boards at about $200 and up, against up to $20,000 or more for the best kaya boards (see Kaya).
• Grown for timber in Japan (Wikipedia), so there is a domestic supply in Japan.

Cons

• No Janka, density or shrinkage figure from a source I could open, so do not plan joinery or loads around guesses.
• Rarely stocked outside Japan; I found no US lumber price.
• Wild trees are endangered in China (Wikipedia), so provenance matters.

Variants and subspecies

• Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the Japanese katsura, is the species covered here.
• None of note that I could source; check the Latin name when buying.

Working and finishing

I found no machining, gluing or finishing data for katsura. Test your own cuts, glue and finish on an offcut.

Staining and finishing colour

No stain data found. Wikipedia describes go-board katsura as light-coloured and fine-grained. If you need to colour it, test on offcuts.

Sustainability and handling

Wikipedia lists C. japonicum as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List while noting it is endangered in China. On 2026-09-30 I searched the Species+ database for katsura and found no CITES listing. US imports fall under the Lacey Act, which since 2008 covers timber and bars trade in plants taken in violation of law, including foreign law. EU buyers fall under the EU deforestation regulation for wood and furniture, from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators. I found no sourced toxicity data; extract the dust.

Popular projects

Go boards (Wikipedia's go equipment article) and construction and general woodworking in Japan (Wikipedia). I found no sourced list of furniture uses.

Buying notes

Source from Japanese specialist suppliers and ask for the Latin name, origin and kiln-dried stock. I found no US price. If you are making a go board, compare with Kaya, the premium board wood.