British Museum's Programme to Restore Paper Kimono

 

The preservation society of Kaida Washi paper from the town of Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture, and students from Sayo High School are involved in the British Museum's worldwide programme for the preservation of traditional culture

The Kamiko, a now defunct Japanese paper kimono once worn by Japanese monks and warlords, will be restored by the end of the year, utilising the know-how of Japanese paper making, and disseminated both domestically and internationally.

Kamiko were characterised by their lightness and moisture retention, and were made in present-day Miyagi, Shizuoka and Wakayama prefectures, but very little remains.

Dr Mohajer Va Pesaran Daphne, an Australian fashion designer, has been attracted to Kamiko, including their unique brittle and unwashable material, and has documented them as a culture.

The British Museum programme began four years ago, and as part of the preservation of endangered cultural information, 65 records are going forward, including the making of vestment worn by the Dalai Lama, the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and natural sericulture techniques from Burkina Faso. Dr Daphne is the only Japanese applicant for the paper robe production technology to be included in the programme.

Dr Daphne's friend Takashi Yano, 55, who is involved in the marketing of washi to overseas markets, moved to Sayo Town, and the Kaita Washi Preservation Society and Sayo High School, which have been handed down in the town for many years, decided to cooperate in the restoration of the paper.

In September, four students from the school's agriculture department joined the group and began making washi.

Kaita washi is made from kozo plant, the bark of which is boiled, beaten with a wooden stick to loosen it, dissolved in water and scooped.

'It's really hard to beat the fibres to loosen them.' Shoma Hirata, 17, a third-year student at the school, says: 'I'm skeptical about whether washi can really be used to make kimonos, but I want to contribute as much as I can.'

Mikio Yamamoto, 65, chairman of the preservation society, says: ' I'm proud that Kaita Washi is involved in the project. I'd be happy if the students could experience the traditions and hardships of paper-making through the work.

After the dried paper is softened by wringing and pasted together for the kimono, it's sewn and finished by students of the school's domestic science department.
Dr Daphne will compile a report on the production.