釘抜 Kuginuki
Traditional Japanese pattern (wagara) · wallpaper & status-bar design
Overview
Kuginuki takes its shape from the washer of a traditional nail-puller — a square frame around a diamond.
釘抜は釘を抜く道具の座金（四角に菱の穴）を象った文様。『苦を抜く』に通じる縁起文。
History & origin
The motif abstracts the metal seat (zagane) of the kuginuki tool used by carpenters to pull nails. It became a popular geometric pattern and a family crest, valued as much for its pun as its form.
Symbolism & meaning
Kuginuki — 'pulling out nails' — puns on 'pulling out hardship and suffering' (ku wo nuku), so it was treated as an auspicious, protective design.
Traditional use
Used on crests, textiles and tilework, its concentric square-and-diamond units make a structured, slightly architectural wallpaper.
Set it as your wallpaper
- Open the design in the editor and tune its colors.
- Recolor the ground and pattern, then add your own photo as the background.
- Download the PNG and set it as your wallpaper (Settings → Wallpaper on iPhone, or “Set as wallpaper” on Android).
New to custom wallpapers? Read the full step-by-step guide for iPhone & Android →
Kuginuki colorways
More patterns
The Kuginuki motif is part of the public-domain canon of Japanese wagara. The artwork on obolo is our own original rendering.