Japanese Chiyogami Paper

Washi is the Japanese word meaning 'handmade paper' and refers to all types of Japanese papers in general. Japanese Papers traditionally use the inner barks of the Kozo, Gampi and Mitsumata plants, which are all native to Japan. Japanese papers are well-known for their longevity, strength and softness to the touch.

Rice Paper is often falsely used to refer to Washi or handmade Japanese Papers in general, rather than paper made from rice. Like Washi, there are many different types of Rice Papers, such as Chiyogami/Yuzen, Japanese Hemp, Japanese Lace and Unryu, to name a few. Sometimes people use Rice Paper to mean the white to off-white colour of plain papers that are used in Shoji (Calligraphy) and Sumi-e (Brush Painting).

They are one of the most popular Japanese papers as they can be used in a wide range of projects, such as in card making, invitations, scrapbooking, collage, bookbinding, covering boxes, jewellery making, decorative eggs, iris folding, tea bag folding, origami, lampshades, framing and mounting as art - the list is endless

Since many Chiyogami/Yuzen papers are embellished with gold, it is hard to guarantee that these papers are acid-free. However, we know that many people have used these papers in their scrapbooking, though we would always suggest that individual papers are tested first prior to use, or some method of protection is used, such as a protective spray.

Chiyogami is possibly the most popular Japanese paper. Strong, beautiful and versatile, these papers are available in a seemingly endless selection of colours and patterns. It is easy to admire Chiyogami for it's beauty alone but what is even more impressive is understanding the time and craftsmanship that goes into making just a single sheet.

The base paper of each sheet of Chiyogami is made of a combination of kozo and sulphite. The kozo gives the paper it's characteristic strength and softness while the sulphite makes it possible to produce these papers at a reasonable cost.

To create a single sheet of Chiyogami, each base sheet is silkscreened with as many colours as there are in that particular pattern - in most cases, four or five colours. After the base sheet has been pasted to a wooden board for stability during the silkscreening process, the first screen silkscreen is registered and ink applied. Each sheet of paper is dried on racks to allow the ink to dry between applications. The screens for subsequent colours are painstakingly registered so that the colour layers lie precisely in relation to each other.