The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at anyone interested in Japanese rare books and papers. It may be of particular interest to librarians, bookshop professionals, paper conservators, researchers and designers.

The course makes use of a number of visual resources which may unfortunately make some of the activities not accessible to learners with a visual impairment. Course videos are provided in Japanese with English subtitles.

This course can also be studied alongside two companion courses, Japanese Culture Through Rare Books and Sino-Japanese Interactions Through Rare Books.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1

How to categorize washi paper.

How the washi paper is crafted.

What kind of materials are used to make washi.

Washi paper used in our daily life.

The history of paper.

Week 2

Bookbinding of traditional Japanese books.

Restoration of Japanese rare books.

Various restoration by Washi paper in the world.

What you can tell by examining washi paper.

Week 3

How the washi is colored.

How to decorate washi during the sheet-forming process.

Gorgeous papers decorated with minerals and fabrics.

Even more variety of decoration such as embossing and shita-e.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to…

Explain the definition and history of washi paper.

Classify washi paper by its production methods, materials, locations and purposes.

Describe the basics of traditional papermaking processes and two types of sheet-forming processes in Japan.

Investigate washi paper to identify its production method and material.

Identify several different techniques to decorate the washi paper used in Japanese rare books including coloring, usage of minerals and fabrics as well as special processes at the sheet-forming stage.

Explore the new possible usages of washi.