OKAMURA (Kichiemon).
Kishu koya-shi [Kishu koya paper]
Illustrating one of the oldest paper-making regions
Okayama Kichiemon’s series of prints illustrating traditional Japanese paper-making in Wakayama.
The tradition of koya-washi dates back to the thirteenth century, when villagers at the foot of Mt. Koya began to use the bark from the mulberry forest to make paper. Indeed the Kobo daishi gyojo-e kotoba (‘Illustrated tales of the life of Kobo Daishi’), is one of the earliest depictions of Japanese paper-making, and shows the villages of Koya. One of the earlier uses of koya-washi was for manuscript sutras, but later the coarse quality of paper made it difficult to print on, and so it was used more for making durable objects such as umbrellas, lanterns and paper bags.
Okayama was fascinated by traditional crafts and created many books that illustrated regional paper-making. In this series of prints, he uses only three colours – black, yellow ochre and clay red – to create balance compositions which give a sense of the papermakers of Koya, the tools they use and the environment in which they work, surrounded by nature and animals.
