Chiyogami Paper
Chiyogami patterns were inspired from Kimono patterns and first made by Japanese Paper-Makers in the 20th century. With a decline in the manufacture of Kimonos, the old cloth printing studios began applying their patterns to paper. Originally printed by woodblock and used to make paper dolls and other home decorations, Chiyogami is still silkscreened by hand using a mixture of kozo and sulphite. These patterns blended with the existing woodblock-printed Chiyogami tradition to create a newer, wider range of paper patterns that now also included gold.
Known for beautiful, vibrant and striking colours, many of today's Chiyogami patterns are based on traditional Japanese designs with symbols that represent beauty, good fortune and long life. These patterns include flowers, trees, animals and geometric shapes. Flowering plum trees, pine leaves, clover, bamboo, violets, butterflies, stripes and parasol shapes are among the traditional designs that are still very popular today.
Chiyogami can be used for a wide variety of art and craft projects. It is a favorite choice for Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. Cranes, boats and many other shapes and objects are exquisitely beautiful when made with Chiyogami. Japanese paper has inspired many wedding invitation designs and used to line envelopes. Today we see book covers, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, collages, picture mats and lampshades all made with Chiyogami. Due to its strength and durability Chiyogami is ideal for covering all kinds of common household objects, such as picture frames, boxes, tins and light switch covers.
All Chiyogami Paper is still silk-screened by hand. It's a laborious process, with each pattern requiring a separate screen that needs to be hand-registered for each color layer.
2010 by Larry Chase
We have been playing around with this beautiful paper and have been commissioned by a few people to line print boxes with it. We think it looks great.
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