Skip to content
Reference material on Japan's regions, culture and sightseeing / Please check opening days, prices and other details with the latest information from each source.

Value Village

Karakami Woodblock Paper

Kyoto · Kyoto · Art & Crafts

Japanese name: 唐紙

Save or plan with this entry
View on map →Plan an AI itinerary
Karakami Woodblock Paper
Photo: Go-Daigo / Monkan-bō Kōshin / Public domain · Source ↗
WHAT TO DOKarakami Woodblock Paper

Mica pressed from woodblocks onto paper by hand, so the pattern appears and vanishes as the light moves.

WHEREKyoto

Kyoto City · Kyoto

CHECK BEFORE YOU GOCheck before visiting

Check opening days, fees, reservations, photography rules and seasonal conditions with official information.

See it on Instagram

Hashtags made from this place's name. Japanese hashtags are shown as written so that they match posts on Instagram. Each opens the tag page on Instagram in a new tab.

Overview

Mica pressed from woodblocks onto paper by hand, so the pattern appears and vanishes as the light moves.

About this place

Karakami is paper that came from China, or paper made in imitation of it. In the Heian period it was used as highly decorative paper for calligraphy and letters. From around the medieval period it was used mainly as a kind of processed paper pasted on sliding doors (fusuma). In terms of production area and characteristics, it divides into two lines: Kyo-karakami and Edo-karakami. A stream flows from the ridges such as Takagamine, Washigamine and Shakadani-yama, which stretch in the northwest of Kyoto. It flows south, passes between Kitano Tenmangu and Hirano Shrine, flows west, eventually joins the Omuro River, flows south again, and empties into the Katsura River.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Key facts

Founded / opened:Edo period Highlights / collection:Mica printed with woodblocks, Papers for sliding doors and walls Genre:Crafts and ceramics, Ukiyo-e and prints

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Before you go

Three questions from the World Question Box that relate to this entry.

More in Art & Crafts

See all in this category

Check before you visit · References

The original sources are listed here. Confirm opening hours, whether visits are accepted, fees and access with the latest official information.

Crafts and specialties of this prefecture

Crafts & industrySpecialties & souvenirs

Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site. Languages: ja / en

Instagram posts from Kyoto (from official accounts)

There are no posts linked to this place yet. Posts from the prefecture's official accounts are shown, rotating every minute.