Yuga Arisawa《Dragon2018 -IBUKI-》
Kōzo–gampi blended paper, 91 × 91 cm, single uncut square sheet
I had heard there was someone in Mino who made a living out of folding.
In the Nagara River flowing just in front of his workshop, boulders as large as small houses sit scattered, and between them, deep green water moves slowly along.
Stepping over the threshold, treading on freshly fallen cherry blossoms, I entered a dim workspace that stood in quiet contrast to the brightness outside. Several wooden boards—five or six—were propped up, used for drying freshly made paper in the sun.
“Around here, they’ve always said horse chestnut boards are the best.”
Born and raised in Sapporo, he had been absorbed in origami since childhood. Before long, he found himself wanting to make the paper itself.
Right after graduating from high school, he came to Mino and became a Washi papermaker.
In an industry where imported materials, chemical preservatives, and machine drying have become something of a norm, he works as if still in the Edo period.
In winter, he harvests kōzo from the field behind his workshop, steams it, and strips the bark. He boils it until soft, removes impurities by hand, then beats the fibers. Using fresh tororo-aoi, he forms the sheets, and finally laid onto those horse chestnut boards to dry in the sun.
Naturally, the costs are extraordinary.
So his paper is rarely found in ordinary shops.
It is sought after instead by high-end interior brands and luxury houses overseas—those who are looking for the real thing.
Occupation: Folding Engineer
Yet what made his name known was not Washi, but origami—the craft he had pursued since childhood. As his works drew attention and his books were published, companies began approaching him for projects like package design.
And so he became a “folding engineer,” someone who delivers the very method of folding.
Yuga Arisawa《Dragon2018 -IBUKI-》
Kōzo–gampi blended paper, 91 × 91 cm, single uncut square sheet
He says he recently received an unusual request.
An apparel company had approached him to develop a folding method for a specially pleated skirt.
It turns out, there really is someone who makes a living out of folding.
by Takeshi Kikkawa
UNITED ARROWS/Steven Alan
Gallery
Kōzo (paper mulberry) shoots
The branches, grown out from these shoots, are harvested in winter and used as raw material for papermaking. In recent years, imported kōzo has become common, making domestically grown kōzo increasingly rare.
Bark
The bark is stripped from branches after they have been steamed. A knife is then used to shave it down, removing everything but the thin inner white layer.
Chiri (impurities)
To produce beautiful paper, darker fragments and coarse fibers are carefully removed one by one in cold water. What remains after this process is called chiri.
Softened bark
The bark is boiled with soda ash—a food-safe alkaline—softening the fibers for papermaking.
Yuga Arisawa @arisawayuga
What kind of paper do you use for your origami work?
I use different types of handmade Washi that I produce myself, depending on the piece. Among them, I especially favor FO-01, a paper I developed specifically for origami by blending kōzo and gampi in my own formula. It’s a special paper designed to achieve both ease of folding and a refined finish.
What tools do you rely on most?
My su (papermaking screen) is made from 0.4 mm bamboo splints cut from the outer layer of the bamboo and bound with silk threads hand-twisted from silkworm cocoons by the same artisan. As it cannot be reproduced with commercially available materials, it is a rare and precious tool that I handle with great care.