THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED WITH LOVE and special appreciation to my mother, Betty LaFosse, who encouraged me from my earliest memories to explore creative play with paper. Her sense of style and her taste for elegant design has inspired my art, and I continue to create things that we both enjoy.
DISTRIBUTED BY
North America, Latin America & Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A.
Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930
Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993
Japan
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141 0032
Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171
Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.
61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280-1330
Fax: (65) 6280-6290
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A.
Copyright © 2007 Michael G. LaFosse
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
LaFosse, Michael G.
Japanese paper crafting: create 17 paper craft projects & make your own beautiful washi paper / Michael G. LaFosse, with Richard L. Alexander, and Greg Mudarri.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0812-7 (ebook)
1. Paper work. 2. Paper, Handmade. 3. Japanese paper. I. Alexander, Richard L., 1953- II. Mudarri, Greg, 1981- III. Title.
TT870.L2337 2007
745.54--dc22
2007009553
First edition
12 11 10 09 08 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Hong Kong
Photo Credits (Page numbers correspond to the print edition.)
Michael G. LaFosse: pp. 6, 12–14 (with Greg Mudarri); 30 (step 12), 31 (steps 17, 18), 72
Greg Mudarri: pp. 6, 12–14 (with Michael G. LaFosse); 51 (Seigaiha), 56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 65, 73–75, 83–87, 101
Richard L. Alexander: All other photographs
Suminagashi patterns shown on p. 14 are by Marsha DuPre.
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not have been possible if not for the help and input from Richard L. Alexander and Greg Mudarri, my colleagues at Origamido Studio. They helped me with the text, the photos, and even the selection, design, and testing of the projects.
First, I would like to thank Richard, my partner and co-founder of Origamido Studio, who took over many of the origami teaching duties as I worked out the diagrams and the how-to steps. He also took most of the photographs, juried the projects, and helped select the washi we used to make them.
I am also indebted to Greg Mudarri, who had recently returned from a fifteen-month stay in Japan where he was teaching English and folding paper. Greg had been studying and working with us since 2003, so he was able to jump right in and lend his expertise for the presentation of the traditional projects that I wanted to show in this book, including the Noshi and Senbazuru projects.
Finally, I would like to thank Holly Jennings and Sandra Korinchak, senior editors at Tuttle Publishing, for their patience and guidance through the process. Tuttle has been a great friend to people who love fine paper, paperfolding, and the simple elegance of traditional Japanese culture. I am grateful they gave me the opportunity to create such an interesting collection of beautiful, useful, and fun projects.
CONTENTS
THE MAGNIFICENT “SKIN ” OF JAPAN
The Special Qualities of Washi 9
A Brief History of Washi 10
Kinds of Washi 12
Uses for Washi 14
Preparing the Pulp 20
Tame-zuki: “Retaining Method” of Papermaking 26
Nagashizuki: Sheet Forming Technique 32
