Chiyogami Paper

To better understand the process of making Chiyogami Yuzen we pointed a few questions to the people at the Japanese Paper Place...

Could you tell us a bit more about the history and derivation of chiyogami?

"Sure! The paper that we know as chiyogami actually comes from a blending of two Japanese traditions: woodblock-printed Japanese papers ("chiyogami"), and a specific style of kimono fabric patterns ("Yuzen"). The word "Yuzen" originally referred to a style of highly elaborate designs, incorporating a lot of gold, which were printed onto cloth for kimonos. After World War II, however, with Japan embracing the West and the drastic decline in demand for kimonos, the old cloth printing studios with little to do began applying their patterns to paper. These patterns blended with the existing woodblock-printed chiyogami tradition to create a newer, wider range of paper patterns that now also included gold. Over time, the more efficient silkscreen technique imported from the West replaced woodblock production.Part of the confusion about whether these papers are called Yuzen (as they are commonly known in the USA) or chiyogami comes from this blended history. Really, today's papers are both. We call them chiyogami because it's the term that refers traditionally and specifically to paper (-gami means paper)."

I am aware that in the past, chiyogami was silk-screened by hand. Is all chiyogami still produced in this way?

"All the chiyogami that we carry 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 colour layer. Just imagine: for the plum blossom pattern you call "Floral Pattern Sky Blue", each sheet needs to be registered and a colour layer applied – and then left to dry – six times."

"Moreover, the chiyogami we carry are not made in sweatshop conditions in the Third World somewhere. They all come from studios we know - and in several cases have visited and seen for ourselves – that are small, family-run Japanese businesses we are proud to support."

The word "Chiyogami" is a very specific word. Nobody is exactly sure of the derivation of the word. One popular belief that is means 1,000 generations but that hasn't really been documented too clearly. The inspiration for them came from Kimono patterns. And in the 20th century, when women stopped wearing Kimonos so much, and the Kimono dyers were struggling, somebody, several people said, "Well, why don't we just put those designs on paper." And that's kind of what we have. That's how that Chiyogami grew. And today we have almost 800 patters of just Chiyogami. But we can choose from sample books that have probably 10,000 designs. They're just unbelievable numbers." - Quoted From Nancy Jacobi, Founder & Owner of The Japanese Paper Place -
Chiyogami was first made by Japanese papermakers in the Edo period. (In Japanese, "chiyo" is "thousand generation" and "gami" is "paper.")

Originally printed by woodblock and used to make paper dolls and other home decorations, Chiyogami is still silkscreened by hand today and is used in many creative ways. Also called Yuzen, this lovely decorated paper is made from a mixture of kozo and sulphite and is ideal for a variety of paper crafts and other projects because it is thin and flexible but still strong and durable.

Known for beautiful, vibrant and striking colors, 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. Chiyogami is also used to line envelopes for wedding invitations and to make book covers, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, collages, picture mats and lampshades. Plus, Chiyogami is ideal for covering all kinds of common household objects, such as picture frames, boxes, tins and light switch covers.

The wondrous beauty of Chiyogami is sure to inspire you with many fantastic ideas!