Japanese Paper Decoration in the 12th Century
The golden age of paper decoration in Japanese book history was the 12th century, in the final part of the Heian period. At this time, an enormous amount of wealth …
Course: The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books
Kumogami
Now we will look at various techniques to decorate the paper at the sheet-forming stage and look at books that make use of them. Kumogami – Cloud-Patterned Paper We start …
Ramonshi and tobikumogami
In this Step, we look at two paper types that are created by overlaying thin layers of dyed paper onto a sheet of white paper: ramonshi and tobikumogami. Ramonshi (literally, …
Suminagashi (marbling)
The last type of traditional coloring method we look at is marbling (suminagashi, literally “ink-spreading”). Watch the video to see examples. Marbling consists in floating dots of ink on water …
Fukizome (blow-dyeing)
Fukizome consists in blowing small particles of liquid dye onto the paper. The intensity of the color can be varied by changing the blowing style, and patterns can be obtained …
Sukizome
The process of adding the coloring pigment directly to the pulp during the sheet-forming process is called sukizome. The colors obtained using this method are usually less vibrant. For more …
Hakezome (brush-dyeing)
In the hakezome method, the color is applied with a paintbrush to the finished book. Sometimes the brush strokes were deliberately left visible to form patterns. The most common color …
Tsukezome and hitashizome
The method known as either tsukezome (dip-dyeing) or hitashizome (soak-dying) consists in adding color to the paper after it has dried and gives a particularly vibrant color. Please watch the …
Introduction to Week 2
Let’s join Professor Sasaki and Dr. Shiroto and delve deeper into the fascinating world of washi paper from Keio University’s Institute of Oriental Classics. In the video, Prof. Sasaki introduces …
Adding dye to Japanese paper
This was done for a variety of reasons and using different methods. In the video for this step, you’ll also see the paper coloured with paints made from minerals. Main …
The History of Paper
When was paper first used? And when did it arrive in Japan? Let’s learn about the history of paper! In Ōji, Kita ward, Tokyo, there is the Museum of Paper …
The History of Papermaking in Japan
When and how did paper become commonplace? The History of Papermaking in Japan In Japan, laws called the Taihō Code were enacted in the first year of Taihō (701), and …
Glossary of Japanese book paper terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A accordion book …
All about Washi in traditional Japanese books
Traditional Japanese books come in a wide variety of different binding styles and paper types. Even paper that at first looks like ordinary white paper has its distinctive characteristics. The …
Identifying Plants Used to Make Japanese Paper
Although all Japanese papers are made from plants each different plant gives a different type of paper. Let’s look at the different types of fibers to see where these differences …