about chiyogami

The wonderfully decorative paper we use on most of our products, known as Chiyogami, are silkscreened onto machine made sheets of mixed kozo (Kozo is made from the inner bark of the mulberry plant which is grown as a farm crop, and regenerates annually, so no forests are depleted in the process) and sulphite.  They are more popularly known as Yuzen in the United States.

Chiyogami (Yuzen) designs were developed in the Edo period as woodblock prints by paper makers during the farming season for use as accessories in the house to enliven the interiors. They were based on the bright kimono textiles which the papermakers from the countryside saw on the fashionable, wealthier ladies in the larger cities, especially in Kyoto, where the area known as Yuzen had become famous for its sophisticated techniques for dyeing cloth.