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Brief History of Chiyogami
"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!






