Japan House is pleased to host an washi (Japanese paper) workshop featuring Fukushima artist Shinya Terasawa as part of the Kogei: Traditional Arts and Crafts project. Guests will learn about the washi craft process and history, then they can learn to make a postcard from pulp to take home!
From the late 17th century during the Edo period, Fukushima Prefecture, like many other regions of Japan, actively protected and promoted industries to increase cash income. One of the major industries at that time was handmade washi production, particularly Kamikawasaki Washi, which continues today as a traditional craft. The Kamikawasaki district of Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, was the largest producer of washi in the region, especially shōji paper (paper used for traditional sliding doors). The craftsmanship of Kamikawasaki Washi has been recognized as a Fukushima Prefecture-designated Important Intangible Cultural Property (craft technique). Today, it is carefully preserved and passed down by the local community, with the Washi Denshokan (Traditional Paper Heritage Museum) in Nihonmatsu City serving as a central hub for its preservation.
Reservations are required, no walk-ins or observers will be allowed due to limited space inside and the hands-on nature of the workshop. Guests will be provided with all supplies but are asked to wear clothing that they don't mind getting wet.
*Please feel free to bring a small leaf or flattened flower that you would like to embed in your postcard. :)
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Shinya Terasawa is a washi paper craftsman based in the Kamikawasaki Washi (Traditional Japanese Paper) Folklore Museum. The Kamikawasaki area of Nihonmatsu City is a production area of handmade washi paper with a history of about 1,000 years, and this facility was built in 2001 with the aim of passing on and preserving Kamikawasaki washi paper. He operates the workshop within the museum where visitors such as tourists and students can observe the washi paper-making process and experience making washi paper. In 2021, he launched a project called Washito, dedicated to the promotion of Kamikawasaki washi.
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Kogei (工芸) translates to traditional arts and crafts. Arts and crafts include disciplines such as ceramics, textiles, woodworking, lacquerware, papermaking, and other means of artistic expression that involve considerable understanding of traditional methods and techniques. Artisans hone their skills to create objects that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Kogei artists and their produced objects are valued for their rich history that reflect intangible cultural heritage spanning hundreds of years, as techniques and processes are passed down from generation to generation. A category of kogei is mingei, (民芸), which translates to “folk crafts,” and is formed from minshu (民衆), meaning common people, and kogei (工芸). Art critic and philosopher Soetsu Yanagi created this term and the mingei movement in the 1920/30s to distinguish the value of everyday items made for ordinary use for the common person.
The Kogei exhibition and programming are supported by the Japan Foundation New York through the U.S.-Japan Community Grassroots Exchange Program. Japan House is proud to highlight the traditional arts and crafts of Fukushima and feature the stories of Fukushima. This program is also partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.