Maggs Bros. Ltd.

One of 250 copies of this ode to the paper-making village of Kurodani. This book is copiously illustrated with beautiful katazome stencil prints by Kanayama Chizuko (dates unknown), showing the amazing work of women in the paper-making process.

The present work chronicles the process of making washi paper in the rural village of Kurotani, in the north of Kyoto. The clear water from Kurotani river, alongside its harsh, snowy winters and wild mulberry trees make Kurotani an ideal area for washi paper-making, which demands especially cold climates. Though the oldest surviving example of Kurotani paper dates to 1593, the history of local paper-making dates back over 800 years. Kurodani washi was used for both commercial, ordinary use – for example, for paper lanterns – as well as luxury use in kimono textile weaving.

This book won a book design prize in Germany at the World Libraries Exhibition in 1972. Kanaya herself is credited by the Kurodani Washi Association with pioneering stencil-dyeing on Kurodani papers. The accompanying text by Hajime Nakamura very simply explains each step in the paper-making process.

Rare. 11 copies in OCLC, very scarce in commerce.