This past weekend the Zenshuji Terakoya (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles) had their a chigiri-e session for their little participants. Natural washi paper were used as backdrops for the colorful images created using decorative Japanese paper. The session started with a little introduction and a reading of one Keiko Sena‘s picture books. It certainly looked like a fun event for the kids!
It’s now off to Kochi for Yuki and I! A bit tired and wary from traveling long distances on the bullet train, but we were undoubtedly excited for this leg of our journey.
We arrived after dusk and tumbled our way from the station to our business hotel. The next morning I was surprised to see such a nice view outside of our window. Once again, I was very thankful for such great weather on this trip. Perhaps the Gods of paper making were blessing us!
The first mill we visited was Takaoka-san’s! We get a fair amount of our machine made rolls from here such as: Okawara Roll, Shikoku Natural and White Roll, Surface Gampi Natural and White Roll, and the Mulberry Thick and Thin Rolls.
They go through a large amount of pulp daily, and it is beaten with mechanical beaters.
Both a mechanical mixer and a human mixer are used. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures of the actual machine they use to make the roll paper. This was the first machine made paper mill that we saw on our washi tour, and it was definitely on a larger scale due to the needs of machine made rolls! 
They focus on producing one type of paper each day. Look how amazingly delicate but strong the paper seems mounted on machinery!
Next was a visit to Mie-san, and her gorgeous dyed tengucho studio. Mie-san was in the middle of washing some cooked Thai Kozo. The water that she uses is all natural water running through a pipe connected to a river not visible from where we were. Upon questioning her about the water source, she stated that typically on the good seasons the water flows out at maximum strength. However, on that certain day the water was not at it’s maximum capability. It did seem a bit concerning, but it is still sufficient for Mie-san to wash her kozo pulp, and hopefully for many generations in the future.
We went to visit a paper museum and tried out Tamezuki style papermaking for the first time! Much easier then nagashizuki, since we didn’t have to sway the suketa side to side and back and forth. The museum, for a set price, let us make six thick post cards. We also dried it on a metal dryer! At the same time, Osamu Hamada and his mother, Mie-san, were drying their freshly made sheets. They make our 100% Color Kozo (kizukishi) papers.
Also, I was not able to take any pictures at the Kochi Mashi mill, but please take a look at this post from when Hiromi last went.
We made a quick stop at Yamamoto Tadayoshi’s studio, and he was in the middle of making a Su (screen) for an order. Papermaking tool makers are now very rare, but still as vital in the papermaking world. Because of that Yamamoto-san is a very busy man and was swamped with orders that day! He makes screens and other tools for organizations and paper makers all around the world. I also found it fascinating that he’s spent some years abroad, but when I asked him to converse in English he replied firmly, “This is Japan!”.
We also had a brief visit to the Shikoku Wagami machine made Gampi mill. For more information please take a look at a previous post made by Yona on her washi tour here. Their chiritori machine had broken down recently, which is why we were not able to restock on our Natural Gampi machine made paper and rolls for a while. When we arrived, two of their workers were performing the chiritori process by hand on the gampi pulp. Gampi pulp is noted to be far more difficult for chiritori compared to Kozo pulp. The chiri (extraneous black specks), are hidden deep within the gampi fibers. We definitely agree with them after we tried it out for ourselves! Keep in mind that the tweezers used to extract the chiri, are dull so that it doesn’t cut the pulp.
Last, but surely not least, we visited Kensho Ishimoto (Refer to Yuki’s post for which papers come from this mill). They were in the middle of drying their sheets ! Yuki was quite a pro at it already on her first try. I do agree with her that it is more difficult than it seems.
While traveling I tried out some very interesting onigiri’s (Japanese rice ball) that are sold in their local convenience stores. Tarako, being my second favorite filling for an onigiri, is, as expected, fresher. Another one, which I absolutely was dying to try, was the Omelete rice onigiri (the yellow one on the top right image). It’s wrapped with egg, and the inside consists of a tomato fried rice mix. Aside from those Godly onigiri’s, I came across this little bowl of raw little fishes (I assume to be silverfish), at an Izakaya in Kochi. Honestly, not something I would order again, but it was worth a try!
The last destination for our washi tour was Kyoto!
Kyoko Ibe, an author and artist widely recognized for her recycled paper installations, hosted us for our stay in Kyoto. Her studio is packed in every corner with washi, which is very fitting for Ibe-san! Last September, Ibe-san’s Washi Tales: The Paper Art of Ibe Kyoko exhibition opened at the LACMA followed by a performance based off of her work. See my previous post about it here.
The following day, we visited Naoharu Usami, the 8th president of Usami Shutokudo. He gave us a new and in detail perception of conservation. Usami-san is a well established conservator and has had many years of restoration experience. His projects range from scriptures, books, mounted scrolls, to even artifacts from the imperial family. On the bottom right corner is an image of prepared Jin Shofu that had been fermenting for 10 years. It has a bit of a repulsive scent, but it wasn’t strong. They use aged Jin Shofu because the documents and artwork they are conserving are very valuable, old, and most likely going to be repaired again in the future. They want to preserve the artwork for many more years to come, so they make it easier for the next conservators. The aged Jin Shofu is weaker in adhesion, thus making it the perfect substance for their work.
He has an elaborate arrangement of various tools which are necessary for each and every step. He is also very enthusiastic when it comes to sharing with us where he purchases the tools. Usami-san also has an extensive keeping of quality handmade brushes from Tokyo in all the different sizes.
Usami-san showed us how he tears larger sheets of handmade washi to fill in the holes and damages made over the decades. He lines up the shape of the hole with the paper he will use to recreate the hole onto the paper, and draws it with a regular No. 2 pencil. He then rips the circle out of the paper carefully, and with tweezers he lines up the torn paper to the hole. He mentioned that he would even be up all night for a couple of days in a row to work on a project. Working at night gives him a sense of peacefulness and quietness that he can’t attain in the morning. Please keep up the great work Usami-san!
Some images of his most recent projects. The scroll was originally horizontal, but a previous conservator cut the image into sections and turned it into a vertical scroll. The image on the scroll is a story about the life of a Japanese monk.
Usami-san brought us to a temple with the most interesting traditional and outdoor restaurant for lunch. We received about 10 round red bowls and after finishing all of the contents we were able to stack them up like the Russian Matryoshka dolls.
We walked under skinny luscious trees on moss lined paths to traditional tea rooms with lowered ceilings, and large halls looking out to gardens of multiple shades of green. We took our shoes off and wore complimentary house slippers and enjoyed the zen view of the garden while taking a break from the heat. The grass, shrubs, and even the moss have a sense of wild growth within them, but it is apparent that there are many workers daily who keep everything under control. We also had a temple dessert, which is the image in the top right corner. It was just the most perfect little snack of grilled mochi that had been topped with ground kinako (soybean flour), and drizzled with a sweet but light white miso paste. Accompanied with cold tea, it was divine!
We also stopped by a Kara Kami studio. Kara Kami is Japanese decorative wood block printed paper. They make custom orders for byobu’s, window’s, shoji screen’s, wall paper, and just about anything that can use paper. They even make postcards with various prints and colors!
Each of their wood block’s are hand carved and designed special for them. To print larger sized paper, they use the same technique as wallpaper. With the sharpest precision, they tile the print with the single carved wood block. Knowing how horrible I am with measuring and perfectly lining up images, my heart was beating out of my chest while they were demonstrating! He worked swiftly and even continued to chat with us while printing, I was very nervous that his image wouldn’t come out lined up and he might’ve blamed us for the distraction, but he was simply amazing at his work. It came out perfect each time, and they hang the papers to air dry.
They were also very nice enough to let us try out a small piece of print! When we arrived they were starting at the first step of boiling and mixing the glue-like ink substance that is used for the printing. We have the pat the ink onto the surface of the wood block carefully, then lay the paper on top and press down evenly so that it prints every detail. In my opinion, this was the hardest task we were asked to do on the washi tour! Thankfully, our papers were small in size so we only had to print once.
Later that night we sent Yuki back to Tokyo, and the next morning it was already time for me to leave Japan! I had a mini adventure getting from Kyoto to Tokyo by bullet train, but after 2 weeks of constant train hopping it eased me into figuring it out on my own. But, of course, I was very sad parting with Japan. It was a bittersweet ending to the perfect washi tour and I had learned a lot about washi, which I am excited to have been able to bring back with me to the states!
Curtain Call, 2010
New York native artist Geraldine Neuwirth opened up her studio to us and shared some insightful words about the nature of her art.
Geraldine with “Spinning Class”.
This certain piece is around the size of the average human height, measuring at 98″ x 68″. Her work is often framed, making the piece even larger in person, and this is how she would transport them from her studio to her exhibitions. Geraldine regularly showcases in California and New York, just this year she had a POP UP exhibition at 74 Market Street in LA, and the previous year she had a solo show at the Wendt-Gallery in New York.
Geraldine not only works in large sizes, some of her smaller pieces are done on the Shojo-shi paper. These bold, dream-like and intricate shapes are done with an ink media, sometimes mixed with pastel, and often intermingled with more shapes added on by collage.
The combination of shapes and colors are familiar to Geraldine such as one would be to a “language”. They come to her in their own form of vocabulary and speak to her through influences of the circus and theater. Growing up in New York, Geraldine was no stranger to the theater world, because her father had worked at the Shubert Theatre. One of her two daughters, Irene Neuwirth, is also well known in the business with her designer jewelry.
Her works-in-progress are mounted on the wall as she studies them from afar sensing where to change certain shapes or colors for the final product. Even if a piece has entered the final stage, in the future it has a possibility of changing or being pulled apart to be used in other pieces.
This is another set of mix media work done on our Mohachi 22″x22″. Geraldine often creates a number of pieces that fit together pleasantly, either by color, shape, or size, and show them in groups. She is also working on 3 dimensional constructions as well. Also, you may have noticed by now that Geraldine does not follow the shape of the paper. She likes to create life and energy at the borders, extending her art without limit. When asked she says, “why stop on paper?”.
Another source of her inspiration comes from her transformation through the hardships and changes in her life. Her work is very personal, and the objects and colors call out to certain emotions differently for each individual audience member. Observing her work is really an experiential process, at times you even feel yourself falling into it.
Playground, 2010
Thank you so much for allowing us to visit your studio, Geraldine!
Ellen Martin Photography Exhibition using Hiromi Paper Inkjet Niyodo Paper
Ellen will be the featured guest artist at the Lexington Artist Co-Op
20 W. Washington St, Lexington, VA, during the month of September 2012
Opening Reception Friday, September 7, 2012 – 5:00 – 7:30pm.
http://lexingtonartistsco-op.com/
http://www.ellenmartinphotography.com/
Beautiful prints on handmade paper by wholesale art house studio, Natural Curosities:
Modern Circle – [on Echizen Hanga Dosa Natural paper]
http://naturalcuriosities.com/catalog/320
This series of three-color silkscreen prints is all about color interaction. We played with the transparency of the inks, which creates numerous colors as they overlap. The ink absorbs beautifully onto the handmade Japanese paper, made in the province of Echizen, giving the prints a warmth very characteristic of this paper.
Modern Rectangle – [on Bhutan Mitsumata Natural paper]
http://naturalcuriosities.com/catalog/319
This series of one-color silkscreen prints was inspired by the paintings of Mark Rothko, in which big color fields interact with each other. The prints are on a beautiful Japanese style Bhutan Paper, made with 100% Mitsumata fibers, acid-free and unsized. These prints are pure in the way that they are all about the color and the paper. The absence of shapes allows us to experience the beauty of the isolated color. These prints evoke a feeling of Zen that is very calming in any space.
Scrolls in production – species images being screenprinted over the golden sargassum
Pyramid Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea Alliance (SSA) collaboration: screen printed Sargasso Sea Scrolls on HPR-01 Okawara Roll currently on view in the Washington Printmakers Gallery (WPG).
For more information, check out:pyramidscreenprint.blogspot.com/2012/04/sargasso-sea-scrolls.html
Five rolls of Okawara paper were ordered from Hiromi for the project, and the scrolls are now completed and are being taken to Bermuda next week for unveiling and exhibition there at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Thursday 20th September at 6.00pm.
The Sargasso Sea flows around the island of Bermuda in the Atlantic and is host to a wide variety of endemic and endangered sea species. The scrolls have been made to raise awareness for both Pyramid Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea Alliance – which is striving to protect the Sargasso Sea and its associated marine species under international law.
The idea was conceived by 2 board members of Pyramid Atlantic, Marti Ittner and Jenny Freestone. Artists from around the world were approached and ask to submit drawings of some of the marine species that live in, or make use of, the Sargasso Sea. The scrolls comprise a set of 3 panels of Okawara paper, each 2’6′ wide by 8′ high
Under the direction of Gretchen Schermerhorn, Artistic Director at Pyramid Atlantic, photographic images of the sargassum weed have been digitally printed on gold on each panel. The artists’ drawings have been converted to digital images, and screenprinted onto the panels. The scrolls are in an edition of 5. Six portfolios, each containing containing a full set of each marine species (on Okawara) are also under production.
If interested in purchasing or for further information, please contact Pyramid Atlantic!
In Memory of Mr. Naohachi Usami, 8th generation head of the Kyoto Shōkaku-dō Conservation Studio.
It is with heavy heart that we received the news of the passing of Mr. Naohachi Usami. We will remember his kindness, work, and collaborations with conservators and students around the world. His generosity welcomed Hiromi Paper’s Washi Tours into his studio and has given us very valuable information on conservation materials and techniques. His two sons, the elder being successor & the younger having his own conservation studio “Usami Shutokudo”, continue to be supportive, and we are very thankful for that.
Edit: A word from Paul Wills about Mr. Naohachi Usami’s legacy:
http://hiromipaper.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/3346/#comments
Upcoming Solo Exhibition
November 10 – December 22, 2012
Art Mûr
5826 St-Hubert
Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2S 2L7
en passant
by Ewa Monika Zebrowski
Using thin, inkjet coated Japanese paper, artist Ewa Monika Zebrowski shows her latest photographic works (the dreamy “en passant“) at the Galerie Art Mûr starting from November 10.
CAESURA
November 8, 2012 – February 8, 2013
Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica Beach
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 8, 2012 6-8 PM
Artist Melinda Smith Altshuler will be showing her recent works using our CK Color Kozo papers at the Annenberg Beach House!
Don’t miss the opening reception next Thursday!
“Shadow of a Man”
Prints: 38″ x 96″
Artist Kevin Welsh sent us pictures of his recent works:
His series “A Shadow of a Man” are a series of 3, and they are relief prints carved out of oak and hand-printed. The series is about how we project ourselves.
carving process…
detailed picture
Check out more information about Kevin and his work at his website: http://kevinrwelsh.com/
For the first conference of the year, Yona and I drove up to Richmond, CA for the CODEX International Book Fair 2013 held from February 10th – 13th.
We experienced beautiful weather for the duration of the conference, and the new venue, the beautiful waterfront Craneway Pavilion was filled with light and exuberance from the visitors and exhibitors. 
Being able to meet and talk to our customers is always a wonderful feeling, and this particular conference was an opportunity to do just that, as well as discover new customers that love using our papers. Here are some of whom we were able to meet; my sincere apologies to those we missed….
Stephen Vincent’s drawing on Khadi paper
John Demerritt: etchings on KM-03 Surface Gampi White
John DeMerritt and Nora Pauwels
Graham Watson: large scroll using HPR-16 Kitakata, MM-5 Shiramine, and others
Maro Vandorou : Platinum prints on HP-60 Sekishu Torinoko Gampi
Mary Heebner: Japanese scrolls on IJ Asuka papers
Ewa Monika Zebrowski: Digital printing on IJ Asuka
Turkey Press: letterpress and Inkjet printing on IJ Niyodo Natural
Edition Reese: Artist Book b y Jean-Pierre Hebért
Date: September 28th, 2013 (Saturday)
Time: 6.30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Hiromi Paper, Bergamot Station.
2525 Michigan Ave, Suite G-9
Santa Monica, CA 90404
25 years ago Hiromi Paper opened to serve a connection between Japanese paper-makers and artists around the world. This year we will be celebrating our quarter century anniversary and we would love to have you join in on our festivities! An evening reception will take place right at Bergamot Station, where our retail store is located. We will also be joined by paper-makers from Kochi and Fukui, Japan. Stop by for some drinks, grub, and to mingle with fellow paper/art lovers and makers! There will also be a special 25% discount off all items in-store on the day of the reception party.
Please RSVP by calling or emailing.
Check out our new aprons, which we will be selling for $15.00! Contact us for more information.
The 9th Kochi International Triennial Exhibition 2014 is now receiving submissions! Information and entry form in english is downloadable from their website: http://www.k3.dion.ne.jp/~tosawasi/
You can also take a trip back to our 2008 newsletter for more information about this exhibition: http://hiromipaper.com/newsletter/7thKochiPrints.htm
Brochures and forms are also available through us, feel free to ask!
Here is a sneak-peek into the studio of Martha & Alfons in Germany, the makers of the beautiful vegetable and fruit papyrus papers!
Thinly sliced radish strips, drying in the sun
Alfons, preparing the vegetables…
More to come!
At the beginning of 2013, we were contacted by Johan Solberg (of Norway) in regards to experiencing papermaking in Japan. Having traveled in Japan and studied a basic Japanese language course, Hiromi decided to connect him with the papermakers of Kochi to start with in October 2013. The following is his very first report!
Washi expedition to Kōchi prefecture 2013, Part 1
My name is Johan Solberg and I work with traditional bookbinding, both with book restoration and new bindings. I grew up in Norway and I am currently running a bookbindery in a city called Halden close to Oslo.
Washi is essential to my repair and restoration work, and I also appreciate the aesthetics of washi. Therefore I wanted to gain a deeper understanding about washi, how it’s made, and also to learn more about Japanese culture. Hiromi Katayama of Hiromi Paper Inc, along with her contacts in Kōchi, made it possible for me to travel to Ino-chō, Kochi to get a first hand experience of washi making. I am really grateful for this possibility.
My journey first went from Stockholm, Sweden to Tokyo. It was an 18-hour flight. Next I journeyed further with shinkansen and regular train from Tokyo to Ino-chō, Kochi. I was met by Tsuyoshi Ageta at the station in Ino-chō. We went directly to the house in which I was going to live. When I came in to the house, I was really overwhelmed. A welcome party was held for me! We had a great night with a lot of good food and conversations.
I was very jet-lagged and I needed a few days to recover. On the following Tuesday of my arrival, Ageta-san drove me on a tour around the area. The surrounding nature is absolutely stunning. Steep foothills covered in dense green forest. We started on a road that followed the clear waters of Niyodo river. Tosawashikougeimura was our first stop. At this place I was introduced to the way the fibers are cleaned to perfection after they have been cooked (Chiritori).
I was very jet-lagged and I needed a few days to recover. On the following Tuesday of my arrival, Ageta-san drove me on a tour around the area. The surrounding nature is absolutely stunning. Steep foothills covered in dense green forest. We started on a road that followed the clear waters of Niyodo river. Tosawashikougeimura was our first stop. At this place I was introduced to the way the fibers are cleaned to perfection after they have been cooked (Chiritori).
I was very jet-lagged and I needed a few days to recover. On the following Tuesday of my arrival, Ageta-san drove me on a tour around the area. The surrounding nature is absolutely stunning. Steep foothills covered in dense green forest. We started on a road that followed the clear waters of Niyodo river. Tosawashikougeimura was our first stop. At this place I was introduced to the way the fibers are cleaned to perfection after they have been cooked (Chiritori).
Our final stop of this tour was the paper mill of Takeo Ishimoto. Tsuyako Yokogawa (in the picture) was making large sheets of paper. It was amazing to watch her skilled movements of the suketa. I even got to try, but it was extremely difficult, and the result became a lump of fibres.
Before we went back to Ino, we drove on a narrow road heading up the hillside. At the end of the road surrounded by green forest was Kiyotaki-ji Temple. This was the first temple that I have visited on Shikoku, and I really hope to go visit others as well.
I learned a lot that day, and I got to see the washi making process from different perspectives. It was also a very good introduction to the area.
The next day I started working as an intern at Takaoka-Ushi Co., Ltd. Communication is of course challenging, because of my very limited Japanese, but my coworkers are very patient and I really feel included.
My first task at the paper mill was to remove dark spots from the kozo fibers (Chiritori). The work requires a lot of patience and concentration. It feels good to participate in the washi production.
The time of the year has come again where the people of Ino-machi gather for the annual stripping of kozo bark.
The past blog post can be found here.
Many thanks to Mr. Hiroyoshi Chinzei, who provided us with wonderful photos!
Kozo appears!
Steamed kozo
Looks like they’re having fun!
Great food at the end of a long day
This important process is absolutely necessary to make high quality Japanese papers.
It’s also an excellent way for people of Ino-machi to come together, and celebrate the start of the new year!
Local artist, Hillary Gruenberg, is now exhibiting “Longing” featured in the Project Room of Lois Lambert Gallery at Bergamot Station until March 9th, 2014!
Hillary has over 300 letter-sized mixed media works on variations of paper such as our Yucatan and Bhutan papers displayed across the walls of the gallery.
See more to view images and to read Hillary’s artist statement from her press release.
This arrangement creates a narrative that portrays her journey during the period leading to the death of hermother. This body of work began on the day of Gruenberg’s mother’s brain cancer diagnosis and ended three months later with her mother’s passing. In an attempt to both grieve for and celebrate the life of her mother, Gruenberg created a visual diary that evokes both the sadness of her loss but also the joy of honoring a loving parent. Each piece represents different moments and experiences of both Gruenberg’s life and her mother’s life, starting with their childhoods through to her mother’s passing. Gruenberg uses a language of symbols established in her earlier works, including human bodies and faces, collaged fabrics, hands, houses, and words in combination with abstract forms and color fields. The combination of forms and colors blends Gruenberg’s past with the present to evoke a sense of maternal love and bonding. While these pieces inspire a range of emotions, the artist’s primary goal is to celebrate her mother’s life by sharing with the viewer anintensely personal experience that many people have had.
Be sure to not miss this wonderfully intimate and compelling show!
March 1 – April 5, 2014
Pam Posey is a Los Angeles-based artist whose paintings draw from and reinterpret nature.
Her recent solo exhibition at Craig Krull Gallery features a large scale linoleum print on Kawashi paper.
“Traced and Remembered” Linoleum prints on Kawashi
Pam Posey became interested in stones while making paintings of the plants that were growing out of little holes in her driveway. Her gaze was soon diverted to the concrete itself and the realization that it was composed of millions of tiny stones. She began to see stones as molecules that were everywhere, and understood that each stone contained the history of its own creation. This led to a series of small stone paintings. Then, in the summer of 2012, Posey spent 5 weeks at the Nes Artists Residence in Iceland, and then returned again in March of 2013. It was there that she began the Stone Dislocation project. In her travels, Posey transports stones, carrying a white quartz rock from a Greek island to a black lava field in Iceland. Her exhibition at Craig Krull Gallery contains the evidence of her geologic displacements in the form paintings and hand-drawn maps. Posey revels in the Zen irony of an act so purposeful, yet so purposeless. She is echoing Michael Heizer’s Double Negative, but on a smaller, and at the same time more global, scale. In addition to displacement and replacement, her small gestures are also about re-contextualization and the wonder created when finding something out of its place. (Craig Krull Gallery, 2014)
Toby Michel and Mary Michel
Angeles Press
Toby Michel with some prints on Niyodo White.
A couple of days ago, Yuki and I had the pleasure to visit the studio of Angeles Press, which was only a 5 minute car ride away from Hiromi Paper! We were immediately greeted with prints done on our paper such as Niyodo White, as pictured above, and on the KM-03 Surface Gampi White, which was deemed as a favorite, and can be seen below.
Photography, editing, and printing by Mary Michel on KM-03.
Angeles Press has been around for over 30 years and is now focusing in the digital field. Mary and Toby work intimately with clients on their projects to meet their every needs, whether it is for just a single print or editions. It was amazing to be able to experience how they transform images, some were even taken by smart phone’s, in to physical art work. We were able to work with them on printing with various Japanese and Bhutanese paper’s, which is just a sliver of what they are capable of printing on.
Painting by Victoria Sutherland, printed on Asuka 150g 17″x22″.
From Victoria Sutherland. Printed on HP-61 Okawara Small.
Image taken by Trisha O’Keefe, “White Egret”. Print on top with an Epson paper, bottom with MM-23 Shirakabe.
Thank you again for showing us around, Angeles Press!
