Cherry wood was traditionally used for Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printing.
Japanese printmakers favored山桜, or Japanese mountain cherry, because its dense, fine-grained surface could hold delicate carved lines without splintering easily. The blocks were usually cut across the grain, creating a stable surface for repeated printing.
Ukiyo-e was produced collaboratively. A designer supplied the image, a carver cut separate blocks for the outlines and colors, and a printer transferred the inks to paper. Each color generally required its own carved block, so durable wood was essential for keeping the blocks accurately registered over many impressions.
Cherry wood was not exclusive to ukiyo-e: it was also important in other Japanese woodblock-printing traditions. The material should not be confused with the paper, which was commonly handmade from kōzo, a mulberry relative. Nor does “cherry wood” mean the prints were made from cherry trees’ fruit or blossoms; it refers specifically to the timber used for the printing blocks.