Washi's Charm as Depicted
by Modern Artists
The Japanese word tsutsumu ("to wrap") and its noun form tsutsumi
("wrapping") have deeper meaning for Japanese, meaning that may not be apparent
to English speakers when they first hear these words.
This other "tsutsumi" refers to the wrapping of a present or gift in paper (originally,
"paper" would only have meant washi) in a particular manner or style; it also
implies the gift's wrapped state.
The giving of a gift may be, in a sense, the presenting of one's feelings to the
recipient. Even in daily circumstances, when offering a small item to one's host
on a visit, for example, and certainly when something is being given in the context
of a celebration or the like, we feel as though we mustn't pass on to the recipient
anything negative, such as the traces of a transgression unknowingly committed
or any internal disharmony we may be experiencing. Although this unspoken tradition
has no overt form that makes itself clear to everyone, it continues as a sense
that has come down to the present in the form of tsutsumi. And although this tradition
has changed with the times, the influence of these considerations underlying wrapping
can be seen wherever one observes closely.
It is believed that paper and the papermaking techniques came to Japan from the
Asian mainland during the 7th century. These techniques arrived at a time when
the nation's culture was rapidly evolving and served to meet the demand for quantitative
improvements in paper production. And not limited to improving the supply of paper,
the results also generated a dramatic improvement in paper quality. This was the
birth of washi.
Leaving to others the detailed explanation of washi's development, I continue
my original stream of thought.
For Japanese, the concept of tsutsumi is inconceivable without washi. If you experiment
and compare the experience of folding handmade washi with that of folding westernpapers,
you may understand and agree with this view.
Before paper, in order to show the purity and cleanness of a gift and its form,
the gift was set on a bed of leaves. When paper came to be widely available, the
idea of appropriately wrapping presents with paper arose, and this itself was
the result of the meeting of ideas. One folds paper, arranges it beautifully,
and then uses it to wrap something-this is "orikata," or the way of folding. Another
feature of orikata is that, depending on the circumstances, it is not necessary
even to completely enclose the gift. A tradition handed down says the giver should
allow a little of the object itself to show. Personally, I believe a suitable
way to think of this is to consider it much like the way we dress ourselves. I
think it is easy to understand that all of the considerations one has about clothing
matching its wearer, the places the wearer will go in that clothing, the people
he or she will meet, are the same with paper, are similar to what you see when
you put a present and paper together and wrap one in the other.
Originally, wrapping was done solely with unmarked white paper, most symbolic
of purity, but later people came to use suitably colored and designed papers.
No strong evidence has been found to confirm when this tradition began, but references
suggest that this practice had taken shape by as early as the 15th century. The
dissemination of this practice among the general public by the 17th century is
thought to have occurred as a result of the general expansion of paper as a commercial
product and means of education. And on the basis of other evidence, countless
forms of wrapping appeared in the mid 19th century, illustrating the strong liking
among Japanese for handicrafts.
Today, it seems as though rapid social changes are making the direction of these
traditions uncertain. As for me, I will do all I can to carry the beauty of this
art and its concepts into the new century and on to future generations.
Japanese Design Art-Folding and Wrapping
Written by ARAKI Makio,
photograph by KOBAYASHI Tsunehiro, published by Tanko-sha |
 |
ARAKI Makio
Washi orikata expert |
| 1932 |
Born in Osaka
|
| 1954 |
Graduated from Kobe University's department of business administration.
Joined the family business, Araki Horai-do.
|
| 1986 |
Became president of the company. |
| 1988 |
Held Orikata-ten, an exhibition of Japanese wrapping techniques,
at the Japan Cultural Hall in Rome.
|
| 1992 |
Jointly held Nippon no Tsutsumi-ten, an exhibition of Japanese
wrapping techniques, in Munich with YAMAMOTO Yoji and the Japan Folkcraft Museum
(Nihon Mingei-kan). |
|
|
| Author of Orikata Tsutsumu Kokoro (Wrapping Techniques
and their Philosophy), published by Bunka Shuppan-kyoku, and Nippon no Zokei Oru,
Tsutsumu (The Japanese Art of Folding and Wrapping) and Nippon no Orikata-shu
(Collected Wrapping Techniques), both published by Tanko-sha. |
Salt or pepper wrapped for a formal dinner (Photos A-B-C)
A
B
C
D Chasen (tea whisk) tsutsumi
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