They used a lot of oak, ash maybe. I don’t know but they might
have maples over there. The Japanese Urushi finish is often
associated with open-grained woods like oak in which it can
be striking. Look at museum quality Tansu chests.
They used a lot of softwoods and soft hardwoods in architectural
work. They never dovetail drawers. There’s a lot to it. There’s
a book called “Tansu” which is informative, and the book by
Toshio Odate has a lot of authentic insights in it about woods
and working methods.
You can easily break fine saw teeth and Japan chisel edges working
harder woods. The quality and toughness of better entry-level
Japan tools is pretty good though and a few broken teeth does
not ruin a saw… it gives it character and when you break a tooth
you learn to be more attentive to technique right quick.
