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CUT AND PASTE TECHNIQUES
The golden age of paper decoration in Japanese book history was the 12th century, in the final part of the Heian period. At this time, an enormous amount of wealth was held by a small elite who pursued beauty and splendor with no thought of expense.
Indeed, book decoration and political and economic history are closely interconnected. In this step, we look at various techniques involving the use of multiple pieces of paper to create the most opulent types of decorated paper in the 12th century. Based on the way the pieces are connected together, we can distinguish three basic types: kiritsugi (“cut and join”), yaburitsugi (“tear and join”), and kasanetsugi (“overlay and join”).
In the Kiritsugi (“cut and join”) technique, papers of different color and decoration pattern are cut in straight lines and then mounted together along the edge on card. It is the easiest technique of the three, and can sometimes be seen in books from the 17th century, a time when the culture of the Heian period (ca. 800-1200) was much admired and often imitated.
In the yaburitsugi (“tear and join”) technique, the seam between the different sheets is jagged as if the paper had been torn; the irregular outline where the different papers meet is its distinctive feature. The technique was often imitated in the 17th century, but as the edges were cut using bladed tools, the final effect is rather different from the Heian-period originals.
The Kasanetsugi or “overlay” method is said to have derived from the yaburitsugi. Instead of using two sheets as in yaburitsugi, three or more sheets of colored paper are layered on top of each other, torn so as to obtain the same outline, and then pasted together in slightly offset layers. The effect resembles the multi-layered collar of a jūnihitoe (twelve layered kimono), the formal attire worn by Heian-period court ladies. Kasanetsugi is an advanced technique and is exceedingly rare, so rare that the Nishi Honganji-text of the Collections of the 36 Poets (see link) may be the only example in existence from the Heian period.
DECORATION
Although the techniques we have seen so far make use of dyes the main ingredient is still paper. We will now discuss decoration techniques in which mineral materials are mixed with or added to the paper.
In The Travels of Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveler describes Japan as “the golden country of Jipang”, a country full of gold. Looking at the decorations on traditional Japanese books, gold leaf and gold paint are used so profusely that one may well believe Marco Polo’s description to be true. Silver was also used as often. Another mineral that must be mentioned is mica. Mica powder was mixed with nikawa (an organic adhesive made from animal sources) in order to obtain a sparkling translucent glaze for paper decoration. Color pigments were also mixed with shell white (see Step 2.16) to make glossy paints of various colors.
Specialists classify paper decorated with minerals by the form or shape of the mineral used (e.g. powder, foil, etc.). Paper decorated with powdered minerals is called sunagogami (“powder-dusted paper”), and paper made with gold and silver leaf is known as hakuokigami (hakuokiliterally means “to add foil”).
Sunagogami is made by sprinkling powdered gold leaf, silver leaf or other powdered minerals (e.g. mica) over the surface of paper pre-coated with glue. Different patterns can be created by reducing or increasing the amount of powder used or by using stencils.
By contrast, hakuokigami is made by pressing gold or silver leaf of different shape onto paper pre-coated with glue. Depending on their shape, the foil decorations are called kirigane (gold strips), kirihaku (small foil squares), sakihaku (torn foil), momihaku (crumpled foil), nogehaku(“foil tinsel”), among others. Some examples are decorated with only one type but often several different designs were used to decorate the same paper.
MICA POWDER
In addition to gold and silver leaf, powdered mica (a transparent silicate called kira in Japanese) is also used as a material for paper decoration.
When powdered mica is sprinkled on a sheet of paper pre-coated with nikawa (an organic adhesive made from animal parts), the paper acquires a sparkling sheen. Alternatively, the mica powder can be mixed with nikawa glue and then applied to the paper. The former technique is known as kirachirashi (lit. “mica dusting”), kirasunago-chirashi (lit. “mica powder-dusting”), etc. and the latter is called kirabiki (lit. “mica coating”). If a large amount of mica powder is used, the first method can also be called kirazuri (lit. “mica rubbing”). Besides books, this technique is used in ukiyoe woodblock prints (“pictures of the floating world”). The people of the past were obviously fascinated by the effects that these materials allowed to create.
As an alternative to mica, powder was also made by baking and grinding the shells of clams and other mollusks. The resulting powder is called gofun (shell white, a form of calcium carbonate commonly known as chalk). Gofun is mixed with nikawa to create a white, paint-like substance that is applied to the paper using a brush. This technique is called gubiki(“shell white coating”). Color pigments can be added to the gofun to obtain a variety of different colors. Examples of gubiki paper date from the Heian period and from the Edo period, when the decoration styles of Heian-period books were often imitated.
KARAKAMI
As our last example of paper decorated using minerals we look at karakami (Chinese-style paper).
The word Karakami originally referred to paper imported from China (Kara = Cathay) but over time it came to indicate all paper treated with the gubiki technique and then decorated with printed patterns (using woodblock) using a mixture of mica and nikawa glue. Color can be added to both the shell white used in the gubiki method and to the mixture of mica and nikawa glue used for the patterns, so karakami can be made in a wide range of different color combinations.
Initially karakami was imported from China during the Song dynasty (960-1279), but by the Heian period it was also produced in Japan. Karakami paper made in Japan is sometimes called wasei karakami, or, “Japan-made karakami”. As with many other ancient techniques and methods, there was a revival of karakami in the Edo period (1603-1868) and a lot of books from the period make use of it.
KARAOSHI - EMBOSSED PAPER
Unlike regular karakami, in which the blocks are first smeared with paint and then pressed onto the paper, the designs are applied to the paper by pressing it against the blocks to obtain a relief pattern.
This technique was widely used for book covers in Korea during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) and some of the plates that were used are still extant. The technique was imported to Japan in the 16th century and was particularly used on the covers of printed books in the 17th and 18th centuries. Although the technique is essentially the same, the designs used in Japanese karaoshi covers often differ from the Korean ones and reflect the taste of the local craftsmen.