For those of us who love paper, it is tempting simply to admire these beautiful Japanese papers. Reminiscent of a small work of art, their intricate patterns of flowers, birds, waves or geometries in vivid colours with accents of gold or silver that catch the light is the magic of chiyogami. For a bookbinder, these precious papers might become an endpaper or a cover. For an artist, they are a source of colour, texture and pattern and for a maker of boxes, cards, jewellery or folded paper objects, they could be the start of something entirely new.
Influenced by Japanese papermaking, textile design, woodblock printing and the visual culture of Japan, the patterns of chiyogami papers carry echoes of nature, the seasons, auspicious symbols and centuries of decorative tradition.
So where did chiyogami come from—and how did a sheet of patterned paper become such a beloved material for artists and makers around the world?
What is chiyogami?
Chiyogami 千代紙 in its simplest sense is a Japanese decorative paper printed with colourful all-over repeating designs. Traditionally, these designs were produced using woodblocks but today, they are also produced using silkscreen printing. Historically, the patterns included motifs that were considered auspicious, for example, combinations of cranes and tortoises as these served as emblems of long life and happiness or the trio of pine, bamboo and plum trees which are symbols of good fortune in Japan.
What does the word chiyogami mean?
In Japanese, chiyo means “thousand generations” and kami means “paper”.
Chiyogami papers adorned with emblems of good fortune, long life and happiness played an essential part in the celebration of all sorts of happy occasions. The word “chiyo” was used as a congratulatory phrase at these events, so it is probable that this is how the word chiyogami originated. Whilst this is the widespread accepted view, there is another theory that the word may have derived from the name of the Chiyoda Palace, now known as the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
When did chiyogami first appear in Japan?
Specimens of old chiyogami papers from the years prior to the mid-19th century are unfortunately, rare to find and usually not dated. As a result, little is known about the early history of chiyogami. The earliest forms of chiyogami paper are, however, thought to have come into use among aristocratic circles in Kyoto at some time around 1700.
The first recorded use of the word is found in a document, complied by a scholar from Kyoto, dated 1728 that detailed the different types of paper in use in Japan at the time. In a section dedicated to patterned and ornamental papers, the word chiyogami appears. Whilst the word may not have had precisely the meaning that it has today, it is probable that it referred to some sort of attractive paper and related to modern chiyogami.
The significant advance for the evolution of chiyogami was the breakthrough in colour printing in the second half of the 18th century. In 1765 the technique of using multiple colour woodblocks was perfected which led to one of the world’s first commercially viable forms of multicolour printing. Significantly, this coincided with a marked rise in the economic and cultural power of the urban middle classes, and these two developments led to an increase in the distribution and use of chiyogami paper. In literature at the time, aimed primarily at middle class readers, adverts start to appear for chiyogami, and these adverts became increasingly common in the early decades of the 19th century.
Why is there so little known about the early history of chiyogami?
There are several factors that have hindered the understanding of its history. Firstly, the primary uses of chiyogami paper were decorative, functional and commercial. Whilst chiyogami paper was printed by the same woodblock process used for the famous woodblock printed Ukiyo-e artworks, which has been extensively researched and exhibited in museums, chiyogami was not recognised as highly. As the paper was for commercial and functional purposes and most of the consumers of chiyogami paper were women and children, this almost certainly put chiyogami outside the realm of serious academic study.
Then there was the practical reality that for generation after generation, chiyogami paper was lovingly cut, folded or pasted by grandmothers, mothers and children armed with their scissors. The downside to their devotion, however, is that there are now very few intact sheets for historians to analyse!
The ephemeral nature of chiyogami has made it difficult for people to appreciate its long history, and its continuing availability has led to it being taken for granted.
Chiyogami’s connection to other art forms of the time.
The story of chiyogami is intertwined with several other Japanese art forms and traditions. They are closely linked to classic textile arts, most significantly kimono design, traditional graphic design and to the genre of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
The connection to Ukiyo-e woodblock printed is a direct one. As previously noted, chiyogami and Ukiyo-e were produced using the same technique but additionally, chiyogami papers were also regularly designed by artists of the Ukiyo-e school, not only by nameless commercial artists but also by famous masters of the day. The papers were issued by the same publishers and purchased by the same relatively wealthy town-dwelling public. Unlike Ukiyo-e art however, chiyogami did not point to a moral or tell a story. Chiyogami was created by professionals and sold as a commercial product and consciously designed to fulfil a range of practical purposes, bringing these vibrant and beautiful patterned papers into the absolute core of everyday life.
Stylistically, chiyogami designs have close links to Japanese textile design, sharing thematic elements and motifs. Many chiyogami patterns have the same popular decoration motifs found on kimonos or other textile art and these designs were cleverly interpreted in a reduced scale to meet the limitation of the paper size and shape.
How was chiyogami used?
Chiyogami was used in the manufacture and decoration of many articles necessary, useful or desirable in everyday Japanese life. Boxes, cases, folders, envelopes or cosmetic holders were covered with care in these colourful patterned papers. They can be found decorating the covers of books or inside as end papers, they were a favourite material for the construction of costumes for 3D paper figurines known as anesama “elder sister” dolls and of course, they were used in the art of Japanese paper folding – origami.
For important or everyday occasions, these pretty papers with their auspicious motifs were an essential part of gift wrapping, decorations and celebrations. Chiyogami therefore fulfilled domestic functions and congratulatory occasions.
As chiyogami was intended for objects for daily use, this meant that it had to be not only attractive, but also supple and durable enough to be cut, folded and pasted. The quality paper stock used for chiyogami is therefore fine enough for precision folding, yet strong enough not to disintegrate when paste is applied.
Chiyogami’s enduring appeal.
In every era of chiyogami production, from the early 19th century up to the 1940s, there was always a relatively stable core of stock motifs, themes and accepted composition styles which maintained their popularity because of their familiarity and general usefulness. Themes such as botanical motifs, natural phenomena and the symbolism of the four seasons have been a constant in this slowly evolving design. Enduring popular motifs include birds such as the crane and flowers such as cherry and plum blossom, peonies and chrysanthemums. The paraphernalia of everyday life was also a perpetual favourite; toys, household goods and open fans along with motifs appropriate to festive and ceremonial events.
As a commercial product however, the designers had to keep the product relevant to the times and looked to the changing fashions and topics of the day. Themes relating to the stage were intentionally employed by both textile and chiyogami designers alike with specific references to a particular play or actor. There were sound economic reasons for this; during the heyday of the Kabuki drama for example, consumers delighted in purchasing goods associated with their favourite actors. Later in the 1920s and 1930s chiyogami papers can be found with patterns of radios, art deco hair ornaments and telephones.
The designers had to find an appropriate balance between tradition, originality and practicality. New patterns had to be attractive to the consumer but did need to be useable for purpose by the consumer. Chiyogami was a commercial product designed for the public, not an art critic, so designs had to be attractive but could not be too daring and go beyond the limits of taste that the public understood.
The vitality of chiyogami was a result of a successful combination of tradition and the ability to adapt to new circumstances and changing styles. It is this evolving style, together with the functional, practical nature of chiyogami paper that has ensured its enduring popularity.
Whilst this unassuming material has been a vibrant part of everyday Japanese life for centuries. Chiyogami is now a favourite choice for paper lovers, artists and bookbinders and enjoyed worldwide.
Header Image: A chiyogami paper from around the 1860's with a pattern of peonies.
Top Slide (from left to right):
Peony blossoms and phoenix birds on a latticed ground 1881
Colourful chrysanthemums 1840
Cherry blossoms 1866
Middle Slide (from left to right):
Detail of motifs on a kimono
Woodblock Ukiyo-e of a woman in a kimono
Woodblock Ukiyo-e of The Great Wave
Bottom Slide (from left to right):
Furnishings for an art-deco Japanese interior approx. 1920/30s
Assorted umbrellas and parasols
Summer fans with floral patterns