Sunagogami and Hakuokigami

Previous steps in the The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books Course centre around decorating and dying techniques of simple paper. We will now discuss decoration techniques in which mineral materials are mixed with or added to the paper.

Minerals Used in Early Japanese Book Decoration

In The Travels of Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveler describes Japan as “the golden country of Jipang”, a country full of gold. Looking at the decorations on traditional Japanese books, gold leaf and gold paint are used so profusely that one may well believe Marco Polo’s description to be true. Silver was also used as often. Another mineral that must be mentioned is mica. Mica powder was mixed with nikawa (an organic adhesive made from animal sources) in order to obtain a sparkling translucent glaze for paper decoration. Color pigments were also mixed with shell white (see Step 2.16) to make glossy paints of various colors.

Sunagogami and Hakuokigami

Specialists classify paper decorated with minerals by the form or shape of the mineral used (e.g. powder, foil, etc.). Paper decorated with powdered minerals is called sunagogami (“powder-dusted paper”), and paper made with gold and silver leaf is known as hakuokigami (hakuoki literally means “to add foil”).

Sunagogami is made by sprinkling powdered gold leaf, silver leaf or other powdered minerals (e.g. mica) over the surface of paper pre-coated with glue. Different patterns can be created by reducing or increasing the amount of powder or by using stencils.

By contrast, hakuokigami is made by pressing gold or silver leaf of different shape onto paper pre-coated with glue. Depending on their shape, the foil decorations are called kirigane (gold strips), kirihaku (small foil squares), sakihaku (torn foil), momihaku (crumpled foil), nogehaku (“foil tinsel”), among others. Some examples are decorated with only one type but often several different designs were used to decorate the same paper.

Please watch the video to see examples of books (and fragments of books) decorated with gold leaf and silver leaf.

Books introduced in the video:

• Sōshoku hokekyō, fragment, late-Heian period
  Click to see the image and information
• Jōjujiengi, Nanbokuchō period
  Click to see the image and information
• Wakan rōeishū nukigaki, fragment, mid-Muromachi period
  Click to see the image and information