Ueda Takashi was born in Kyoto in 1934. For many generations, his family continued the tradition of dyeing yuzen kimono fabric used by professional entertainers such as geisha and their young apprentices, maiko. Ueda grew up surrounded by the beautiful and colorful patterns of kimono fabrics, and over the years he honed his skills at preparing gold leaf and pigments while assisting his father. After reaching adulthood, he studied drawing and oil painting with a professional artist, and gained employment at a printing company specializing in high-grade fine art printing. In his work, Ueda was blessed with many opportunities to encounter the finest works of art, including national treasures and well-known pieces by famous artists. He practiced many printing techniques, especially collotypes (a photogelatin process), and developed an intimate knowledge of working with washi. In the 1960s and 70s, traditional printing and the intricate craftsmanship that was associated with it were gradually being replaced by the computer and digital technology. Ueda found the new methods uninteresting, and eventually quit his job, leaving his home in Kyoto for Tokyo. Seeking a new situation to apply his valuable skills and experience, Ueda responded to the fateful phone call, becoming a kinkarakami artist at the age of fifty. Although kinkarakami and its parent kinkarakawakami were crafts developed in Japan, they were based on the appearance and patterns of gilt leather (kinkarakawa) which was imported to Japan from Holland in the seventeenth century. The Japanese were fascinated by the exotic and sumptuous craft, and kinkarakawa spread throughout Japan. Feudal lords and wealthy citizens carried fashionable items crafted from kinkarakawa, such as sword sheaths, horseback saddles, tobacco cases, and purses. Leather was a rare and expensive commodity in Japan, a Buddhist country at the time, unaccustomed to eating four-legged animals. To make kinkarakawa more affordable, craftsmen came up with the idea of preparing washi to mimic gilt leather. Kinkarakami with genuine gold leaf applied to the embossed washi. Detail of a sheet of kinkarakami with a floral design by Ueda Takashi, on display at the Paper Museum in Oji, Tokyo, Japan. Detail of a sheet of kinkarakami used in the restoration of the Iwasaki Mansion, the former residence of the Mitsubishi owner, in Tokyo. The sheet is embossed, and painted with layers of tin leaf, varnish, and cashew paint. 18 - hand papermaking According to historical record, a man named Horiki Chujiro of Ise province was the first to succeed in making kinkarakawakami in 1684. Kami is "paper" in Japanese, making the compound word kinkarakawakami, "gilt leather paper." Although many tried and failed before him, Chujiro developed methods of treating washi to have the look and strength of gilt leather. One particularly famous item was something called "Ise no Tsuboya no tobacco-ire" (a Tsuboya-brand tobacco pouch to carry in the town of Ise). For many people in the Edo period, it was a once-in-a-lifetime dream to visit the Ise Shrine. However, people were forbidden to carry items made from animals, including leather, into the shrine. Vendors in Ise started selling imitation-leather paper goods including kinkarakawakami tobacco cases which became a best-selling souvenir item for friends and family of Ise shrine visitors. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, kinkarakawakami was being made in several other parts of Japan. After Japan opened its doors to the world at the end of the Edo period, the first British diplomatic representative Sir Rutherford Alcock, who was said to be impressed by kinkarakawakami, chose many kinkarakawakami products to debut in the Japanese Pavilion at the International Exhibition of 1862 in London. A few years later in the Meiji period (1868–1912), at the suggestion of a British company, a factory called Takeya in Tokyo began producing this unique Japanese craft for export to Western countries. Takeya produced kinkarakawakami with Western designs in large, wallpaper-size material. The Japanese government encouraged the production and export of kinkarakawakami wallpaper to earn foreign currency. They even started their own kinkarakawakami factory at the Ministry of Finance Mint and Printing Bureau (the Mint) in Oji, Tokyo. Kinkarakawakami was very popular among Western royalty, nobility, and the wealthy. However, by the early twentieth century. The result was that demand for kinkarakawakami fell dramatically within two decades, and by 1926, production of kinkarakawakami stopped completely. The very last wallpaper was made for the Japanese House of Parliament. In the years that followed, the craft and its techniques were forgotten and no records of the process were left behind. This lack of information made it it quite difficult for Ueda Takashi to resurrect kinkarakawakami wallpaper when he took on the challenge in the late 1970s. The only hint Ueda found regarding the original kinkarawakami production was a sketch by the French artist Félix Régamey, who visited a kinkarakawakami workshop in Japan in 1899. Ueda single-handedly rediscovered not only the production techniques, but also the tools and materials used in the process. After two years of much trial and error and exhausting his entire retirement savings, Ueda finally succeeded in achieving a satisfactory result. Since those trying years, Ueda has contributed his talents to many restoration projects of important cultural properties throughout Japan. In 2005, the Japanese government honored Ueda Takashi, designating him as a special traditional skill-holder for the preservation of kinkarakawakami. Ueda has had inquiries from overseas about kinkarakawakami restoration projects in other countries. Although he has been keen to pursue them, the costs have been prohibitive in most cases. Ueda calls his paper kinkarakami, to distinguish the paper made by his contemporary method from the historical paper produced to imitate gilt leather. By removing the word kawa (leather) from the term kinkarakawakami, he avoids the sole identity of the paper as an imitation-leather product. Ueda believes that kinkarakami is not only valuable for historical preservation but also carries new possibilities for the future. He hopes that his kinkarakami will be utilized in our everyday lives once again, not just as a specialty wallpaper, but also for use in personal items such as furniture, bags, and accessories, among others. Ueda considers kinkarakami to be a modern craft with unlimited potential: it can be colored with any type of paint; produced with or without metal leaf; and enhanced with embossing and pictorial details. Ueda currently has two regular staff members: Takahashi Shizuyo, who is mainly in charge of coloring; and Ikeda Kazuhiro, a man in his late thirties who is likely to become Ueda's successor, having studied Japanese painting and having worked with Ueda for fifteen years. As of this writing, Ueda Takashi is seventy-six years old. Even though the work has become physically challenging for him, he is willing to continue to make kinkarakami for the rest of his life. Ueda Takashi asks Hand Papermaking readers to please let him know of kinkarakawakami wallpaper outside of Japan. He can be reached by post or email: Ueda Takashi Kinkarakami Kenkyujo 4-1-20 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0031, Japan kinkarakami@ab.auone-net.jp Editor's Note: To commemorate its sixtieth anniversary, the Paper Museum in Oji, Tokyo, Japan is mounting a special exhibition on kinkarakami, March 20 through May 30, 2010. Takahashi Shizuyo, at Ueda's Kinkarakami Research Institute, brushing layers of paint onto embossed washi. 20 - hand papermaking Notes on the Production of Kinkarakami by Ueda Takashi, as described to Moriki Kayoko MATERIALS Paper: - 1 x 2 meter sheet of handmade paper from Echizen, custom-made for kinkarakami - Washi is a perfect material for kinkarakami wallpaper because of its strength, lightness, flexibility and porosity. - The paper is surfaced with mitsumata tissue. Gampi is not used because it is more sensitive to humidity changes, making the paper unstable as well as unable to hold an embossed pattern. - The paper is backed with kozo, 0.7 to 1.0 mm \[0.03 inches to 0.04 inches\] thick. Several sheets are laminated together to achieve this thickness, just enough to maintain the embossed pattern. - You can achieve a crisper embossment with a thinner base sheet, but it may be less stable over the long term. - Recycled money paper was used for restoration purposes since this is the type of paper that was used at the Imperial Mill at the turn of the twentieth century. Paste: - A cooked mixture of wheat starch, funori (seaweed), konnyaku (a vegetable starch), and water. Ueda adjusts the proportion of each component in the mixture depending on the season, temperature, and humidity. Metallic leaf: - Tin leaf (used for restoration of kinkarakawakami) - Silver leaf - Gold leaf (limited for kinkarakami) Sizing: - Dosa (animal glue and alum) - Water-based acrylic binder - Liquitex, a water-based acrylic paint Paint: - Liquitex, water based acrylic paint - Cashew paint (a synthetic oxidative polymerized resin paint made from cashew nut oil, very similar to lacquer but much easier to handle) Varnish: - Fine-grade natural varnish (same grade as the one used in making violins) TOOLS Pattern: - Ueda borrows from the Paper Museum, Tokyo and the Mint, the original hand-carved wooden rollers used to make kinkarakawakami in the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868 through 1926). There are 130 rolls at the Paper Museum, Tokyo, and 30 rolls at the Mint. The rollers are made of cherry wood. - Some of Ueda's rollers are recreated for restoration purposes by a maker of ranma (decorative transom window). The roller shape pattern originally came from the printing industry. Ueda also uses some flat board patterns. Pounding Brush: - Ueda orders custom brushes in the shape of a big toothbrush, which comes in many sizes and many type of hair. So far Ueda has ordered over 100 types of brushes in his quest to get the best results. Process for kinkarakami with metal leaf: - It is critical to maintain a humidity level between 35 and 40 percent. It is not possible to get a clear embossed pattern in damp weather, or if the humidity is over 70 percent. - Laminate the base sheet: After humidifying the papers lightly, apply the paste and laminate the surface mitsumata tissue to the heavy kozo backing. Let it air dry slowly. Avoid using a dryer because the paper may curl. - Apply the metal leaf: Humidify the paper again and paste down the metal leaf on the mitsumata tissue. Let it air dry. - Place the paper on the roller: Dampen the paper lightly again, and place it on top of the carved roller with the metal leaf side down. - Pound with a brush: Pound with the long-handled brush strongly but carefully for several hours. Use the smaller size brush for the detailed part. - Dry: Let it air dry and apply a few more backing sheets if necessary. - Varnish: Varnish the tin leaf and dry. The leaf will look like gold with the varnish on it. - Coloring: Carefully paint with the menso brush (the finest tip brush for Japanese painting, normally used for drawing fine outlines, not laying the paint). Ueda says, "Women are better at this process than men because it requires so much patience." Takahashi Shizuyo is in charge of all the coloring at Ueda's studio. "It takes about 20 hours to paint one tatami-mat size kinkarakami," notes Takahashi. "Once you start, you should not stop until you finish the whole sheet, otherwise bumps will appear and it is difficult to fix them later." -Finish: Give a cosmetic antique finish and apply varnish coating. Process for kinkarakami without metal leaf: - This process is more labor-intensive to produce. -After the pounding process, apply white Liquitex as the base, which also helps to hold the embossed pattern. - Apply several color layers of cashew paint (average of five different colors). Dry well each time before applying new color. - With sandpaper, carefully remove the colors on the top of the raised parts until the bottom color appears. - Coat with varnish. Hand-carved wooden rollers of hard cherry wood, used in the making of kinkarakami to emboss designs on washi. Collection Paper Museum, Oji, Tokyo, Japan.