Japanese Yew

Taxus cuspidata grows wild in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu), Korea, northeastern China and the Russian Far East (Primorye, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands); in China it grows on acid soils in cold, humid places at 500–1000 m. It grows very slowly and has rarely been planted, and exploitation has made it rare in much of its range. It is the prefectural tree of Gifu, where the Ichii Ittōbori craft relies almost entirely on wild-grown trees; the craft uses straight, knot-free logs at least 30 cm across with growth rings 1 mm wide or less, which takes at least 150 years of growth.

Japanese yew wood is recognized by the contrast between a narrow whitish sapwood band just inside the bark and reddish heartwood, by very fine growth rings, and by its color deepening over the years to a lustrous brown. Ichii Ittōbori carvers use this two-tone color instead of paint or dye, so genuine pieces are left uncolored.

The Japanese name ichii ("first rank") is traditionally explained by a story that a shaku (ceremonial court baton) made of this wood was presented at an emperor's enthronement and judged finer than those of other woods, so the tree was granted the highest court rank, shō-ichii; Takayama City presents this as one of several explanations. In Hida, the Ichii Ittōbori style of uncolored carving was developed in the late Edo period by netsuke carvers from Takayama, notably Matsuda Sukenaga, and is a nationally designated traditional craft. In Japan the wood was formerly used for woodcarving, cabinetry, chopsticks, trays, clogs and bows; in China it is used in construction, furniture and carving.