As regular listeners may know, in my free time, I'vbe been researching Japanese washi. I'm looking for the "perfect paper," something that I can return to again and again in my own prints. It hasn't been straightforward. There's a lot of washi out there. A lot to test. A lot to understand. The search continues.
I'd like to introduce you to a papermaking community in Saitama Prefecture, Japan — Ogawa Washi. In Ogawa and Higashi-Chichibu, papermakers have been producing washi for over 1,300 years with studios continuing to operate there today.
I had the opportunity to speak with Seiko Musashi; Ogawa washi exporter, art program coordinator, translator, about the history of the area, who is making paper now, and how these paper maing studios continue even as generations change and family lines shift.
We also talk about how Ogawa connects outward. In the past few years they've hosted longer, week-long workshops in mokuhanga and washi making. Including groups from RMIT University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and earlier visits from the University of California Santa Cruz through connections with Terry McKenna and his Karuizawa Mokuhanga School. It's one of the ways this small papermaking community stays active and engaged with artists from outside of Japan.
Seiko has dedicated much of her life to sharing Ogawa's washi beyond Japan — and in our conversation, we reflect on what the future might look like for communities like Ogawa.
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[email protected] Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. If there are any issues with something you've heard in the episode please don't hesitate to email.
Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase.
Ogawa Washi - these are the following links to Ogawa Washi and Seiko Musashi (Office Harvest).
www.officeharvest.com
Wano Kaze is the Ogawa Washi shop - www.wanokaze-washi.com
Patty Hudak - is an American artist who splits her time between Vermont and NYC, who works in installation, and mokuhanga. She has travelled the world, and is a part of three artist collectives. Patty's interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here.
Come Closer
Mia O - is one of the most interesting and creative mokuhanga printmakers working in the medium, today. As a South Korean born, Japan based printmaker Mia's work moves outside the traditional formats of mokuhanga, through shape, collage, colour, and even the folds of washi. Mia's interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here.
Untitled
Michi no Eki (道の駅）- is a community driven space crated by the Japanese government in order for local people from the area ususally found off of highways. You can find toursim information as well as rest and get food and drink.
kōgyō kumiai (工業組合）- is a manufacturing collective in which groups of manufacturers or craftspeople cooperate for mutual benefit.
Terry McKenna - is a mokuhanga printmaker and teacher residing in Karuizawa, Japan. He received guidance in the art form from Richard Steiner, a prominent mokuhanga printmaker based in Kyoto. Terry established the Karuizawa Mokuhanga School, a renowned residency dedicated to mokuhanga education, located in Karuizawa, Japan. Further details about Terry and his school can be found, here. Additionally, you can listen to Terry's interview with The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, here and Richard Steiner's interview here.
Your Magic Tree (2013) 43 cm × 26.2 cm
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum - is a major public art museum located in Ueno Park in Tokyo. Founded in 1926 as Japan's first public art museum, it is operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and is known primarily as a venue museum, hosting a wide range of temporary exhibitions rather than maintaining a large permanent collection. It presents major international shows, large juried exhibitions by Japanese art associations, and exhibitions organized by independent artist groups. More info, here.
The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation - is a UK-based not-for-profit organization that promotes relations between The United Kingdom and Japan. Established in 1985, it supports projects in areas such as arts and culture, education, research, policy, and public engagement that strengthen understanding between Japan and the United Kingdom. It provides grants to individuals and institutions, funds exhibitions and cultural exchanges, and supports academic research related to Japan. More info, here.
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation - is a UK charity established in 1988 with support from Daiwa Securities Co Ltd to strengthen links between Britain and Japan. It promotes UK–Japan relations by awarding grants to individuals and organizations across diverse fields, offering scholarships to outstanding British graduates to study Japan and its language, and organizing a year-round public programme to deepen understanding of Japan in the UK. Its London headquarters, Daiwa Foundation Japan House, serves as a cultural hub hosting lectures, seminars, exhibitions, and other Japan-related events, while its Tokyo Office supports scholars, administers grants from Japan, and contributes to the wider network fostering UK–Japan exchange. More info, here.
Richard Flavin (1943-2020) - was a printmaker, papermaker, letterpress printer, and artist with a strong interest in Japan, particularly traditional culture, and utilitarian antiques. He was committed to Japanese hand papermaking and woodcut printmaking. More info, here.
Richard Flavin Washi House - can be found, here.
Timothy Barrett - is a master craftsman, scholar, and innovator in hand made papermaking. He is the founding director of the papermaking program at the University of Iowa's Center for the Book, established in 1986, which is one of the few facilities in the United States where both Western and Japanese-style handmade paper are produced and taught. Barrett's work brings together research, teaching, and artistic practice, emphasizing the expressive, historical, and functional qualities of paper as a material. Timothy Barrett has written many books on papermaking such as Japanese Papermaking (2005), and Nagashizuki: The Japanese Craft of Hand Papermaking (1979).
Paul Denhoed - is a Canadian paper maker who has lived in Japan for twenty five years. He currently works with Oguni Washi in Niigata, where Paul teaches students how to make Japanese washi. More info, here.
shodo -is the name attributed to calligraphy in the Japanese style, which involves writing characters using a brush and ink.
Echizen - is a region in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, known for its long history of papermaking. The area is home to many paper artisans. One notable figure is Iwano Ichibei. He is a Living National Treasure in papermaking and the ninth generation of his family still making paper today. More information can be found here.in English, and here in Japanese.
kawara ban - were single sheet prints in Edo Period Japan which reported newsworthy events in writings and illustrations and made in various formats and sizes. They were mass-printed on inexpensive paper to keep costs accessible, emphasizing short-term public enjoyment rather than preservation.
kawaraban of Commodore Perry entering Japan.
Nicholas Cladis - is an artist and paper historian who teaches and lives in Iowa. He lived in Echizen from 2014-2020 where he studied how to make washi, taught at the Fukui Prefectural University, as well as being the International liaison for the paper making union. More info can be found on his website, here. You can find Nicholas' episode with The Unfinished Print, here.
Nasu Kozo - paper is some of the best Japanese washi from Ibaraki Prefecture. It is durable, strong, and highly absorbent perfect of mokuhanga.
Sekishu-Banshi Washi- is, like Nasu kozo washi a traditional and very durable handmade paper from the Iwami region of Shiman Prefecture. It is an UNESCO-recognized, unbleached, and hand-beaten paper which has been used for calligraphy, restoration, and shoji as well as mokuhanga. Here is a video from UNESCO about Sekishu-Banshi.
Ogawa Washi Michi no Eki - is the michi no eki discussed in our interview with Seiko Musashi. More info, here.
neri - is a natural, viscous, plant-based mucilage used in traditional Japanese papermaking to keep fibers evenly suspended in the vat, prevent them from clumping, and slow the drainage of water through a screen. It is typically extracted from the roots of tororo-aoi (sunset hibiscus) and is essential for the nagashi-zuki technique, where it helps distribute fibers smoothly and uniformly during sheet formation.
Hosokawa shi - is one of the traditinal handmade papers made in Ogawa. It was added to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. More info, here.
Mariko Jesse - is an illustrator, and mokuhanga printmaker who splits her time in Tōkyō, London, and California. Her work can be found, here. Mariko is also a part of the collective, wood+paper+box, which can be found, here. Mariko's interview with The Unfinished Print, can be found, here.
Japanese Paper Company - is an online Japanese washi shop which sells Japanese washi. An interview with Megan Adie, a co-owner of the JPC, with The Unfinished Print, can be found, here. More info about the JPC can be found, here.
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