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Kigami and Kami-ito · Japanese Handmade Paper and Paper Thread

Hiroko Karuno

Among the many rich textile traditions of Japan, one of the most intruiging is shifu, a cloth woven with paper thread. Shifu was developed by poor people in need of warm clothing, but over time it was refined by skilled weavers into an elegant alternative to other textiles. What makes shifu so remarkable is the material from which it is woven, and in this lavishly illustrated book Hiroko Karuno reveals the intricate method of producing kami-ito, thread spun from sheets of handmade paper, or kigami. In both English and Japanese she describes the making of kagami by a professional papermaker, plus preparing the paper for spinning, spinning the thread, and finishing the skeins in preparation for weaving. Kigami and Kami-ito, the first bilingual book of its kind, fulfills the authors commitment to preserving the knowledge of this extraordinary textile tradition.

In English and Japanese

Softcover
Fully illustrated in color
87 pages
10 1/4" x 7 1/4", 26 cm x 18.5 cm

Includes a bound in sheet of handmade Japanese washi / paper and two hand spun kami-ito threads.