Washi Wednesdays — Find inspiration and discover the wonders of washi with our monthly drop-in.
We do more than just sell paper! We have a passion for sharing our love of Japanese paper and paper arts with the world. Below we list events and workshops that take place at our warehouse, now at 103 The East Mall,Unit 1, Etobicoke, as well as washi-related exhibitions and lectures in the Toronto area.
If you or someone you know is exhibiting work featuring Japanese paper, let us know and we would be delighted to list it here.
May, 2018: Entries to arrive in Victoria for jurying.
Heritage Washi Award for Art of the Book 2018
Voucher for $500 from The Japanese Paper Place
In recent years the term washi has been appropriated by makers of printed tape for the hobby industry. This has been a runaway hit for the "washi tape" manufacturers but an unfortunate step backwards for those papermakers in Japan who are still producing washi to the highest standard of their ancestors while counting on the increasing understanding of the advantages of paper produced with this much care.
To honour these committed papermakers and to highlight the advantages of Heritage washi, The Japanese Paper Place offers this award.
What is Heritage washi?
"Heritage washi" is the term we now recommend to describe papers which are:
100% Japanese fibre (kozo, mitsumata or gampi)
cooked in soda ash or lime
made by hand
What are the advantages of Heritage washi?
great strength and longevity even when thin and/or wet
thorough, controlled integration of ink, textile dye, gouache, watercolour or acrylic paint into the fibres of the paper
crisp folds and malleability
surface beauty and tactility good for the soul
How can Heritage washi be best utilized by book artists?
for books as cover and end papers, dyed or painted and treated with konnyaku starch to make momigami
for relief and intaglio prints inside the book or on the cover/end sheets
for marbling and other decorative treatments to be used in books
for stab-sewn Japanese style book interiors or covers, or accordion-fold books
for long-wearing boxes and sleeves
There are still many kinds of Heritage washi made and available. Here is a list of some, many of which are available through our resellers: Resellers List
Orders over $100 may be ordered directly through The Japanese Paper Place.
Kizuki tosa kozo
Kurotani kozo (many weights and variations)
Mitsumata tissue light and heavy dyed with iron oxide - pink and grey
Oguni kozo papers (often snow-bleached)
Seichosen (kozo) - in 3 sizes
Seikosen (mitsumata) - in 3 sizes
Sekishu banshi mare ( hand-pounded and dried on wood) and sekishu banshi tsuru (dried on stainless steel)
Usumino (100% kozo)
Yamagampi
"Ruin Spread" 2008. Reg Beatty
(Seichosen kozo)
Swatch sheets of 16 of these Heritage Washi are available from washi@japanesepaperplace.comCost including postage 12.00, with price list.
For consideration by Art of the Book 2018 jurors for this award, entries must utilize a minimum of 50% Heritage Washi and be accompanied by the name(s) of Japanese papers used.
