Latest news with #washi
NHK
a day ago
- General
- NHK
Children in northeastern Japan decorate traditional 'Tsugaru kites'
Children at an elementary school in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, have enjoyed learning how to decorate traditional "Tsugaru kites." The kites, known for their distinctive images of heroic warriors and other figures, are designated by the prefecture as local traditional craftwork. It is believed they were first produced during the Edo Period from the 17th through the 19th century by samurai who wanted to earn extra money. About 40 third-graders took part in Wednesday's event at their school in Hirosaki City. The children were given paintbrushes to carefully trace the figure of an ancient warrior on Japanese "washi" paper. They used wider brushes to paint the hair and eyebrows. Parents helped the children to complete their kite paintings by adding various colors. A boy said it was particularly difficult to paint the hair. But he added that he thinks he did a good job and will give the picture to his grandparents. The instructor for the event was Mizoe Yuki, an officially designated "Tsugaru kite" artist. He praised the children for creating unique artworks with their favorite colors. He said he hopes the children will learn to appreciate the kites, as it is becoming difficult to find people to continue traditional crafts.
Japan Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
At London Design Biennale, a multisensory exhibit of washi paper
Clad in a dress made entirely from washi and standing on the iconic Nelson Stair inside London's Somerset House, Midori Komachi appears to float among clouds also made from the traditional Japanese paper. At the bottom of the stairs, the 36-year-old begins to play her violin, pauses for a recording of cello and shakuhachi flute to rise, then plunges into motion, plucking the strings with her whole body. The rustle of washi against skin joins the ensemble, culminating in an exhilarating, John Cage-like experimental score reverberating through the five-story rotunda. 'Sound is lighter than air,' writes Komachi, quoting acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, in the exhibition pamphlet. Yet her plucking carries weight, like the sekimori ishi (boundary stones) that anchor the washi clouds, imported by Sekisui House Kuma Lab Codirector Toshiki Hirano, who also designed Komachi's washi dress.
