Do you like your jewelry fine and delicate, or bold and colorful? Kokoro2020 features many creative artisans who make jewelry from a variety of materials such as mosaics, recycled silver, Japanese fabric, ceramics, and hand-made beads. Links to vendor’s websites and email addresses will be available on November 14. Get ready to shop!
Participating Vendors 6 Degrees of Hapa • Acorn Works • Alyson Iwamoto Ceramics • Art Mina • BGK Gems • Bizu • Boy Cherie Jewelry • Charming Little Lotus • Color Conscious • Creative Handcrafted Gifts • DaTojos • Ecommshipments • Elua Crafters • Fugetsu-Do • Happyshirts • imoriknits • JKiyomi Designs • Joan Flax • Kelley’s Kookies • Kiobi Designs • Kirei Cositas • konodomazo • Lileeku Jams • Madame Sakura Craft • mi so happi • N & M Enterprises • Papermum Press • Parasol Paperworks • Pomegranate • Pontigo • Pulp X Stich • Raffi • sewKimono • Shibori Girl Studios • Simmisu Paper Co • SOLSISS • Some Mo Craft • Stacy Wong • Studio Engravers • Susan Facklam Jewelry • Suzye Ogawa Designs • TABFabric
Rolls of washi on display in Kamakura, Japan. Photo by Alex Watson via Flickr.
On Saturday, September 9, JANM will premiere a new jewelry workshop titled The World of Washi. Led by Reiko Nakano, this introductory class will teach participants about washi, a traditional Japanese handmade decorative paper, and how to apply it onto a variety of wooden shapes to create jewelry.
Washi, which literally means “Japanese paper,” dates back to the seventh century, when paper was first brought to Japan from China by Buddhist monks. The Japanese quickly developed their own methods for making paper, using fibers from three plants native to Japan: kozo (mulberry), gampi, and mitsumata. The handmade process was passed down from generation to generation, and the quality of the paper, which was stronger and more versatile than its Chinese predecessor, became highly renowned and sought after. By the late 19th century, there were more than 100,000 families in Japan making washi.
As demand for paper grew, machine-made papers from the West grew in popularity, and handmade production of washi declined. By 1983, there were less than 500 papermaking families left in Japan. Washi, however, remains an important and cherished part of traditional Japanese culture; it is still used in religious ceremonies, and can be seen in a variety of applications from fine books and artworks to stationery and crafts.
Mini Hina Rabbits in a Washi Tube — one of several washi-based products available at The JANM Store and janmstore.com.
Reiko Nakano, a lifelong teacher, discovered what she likes to call “the wonderful world of washi” on her trips to Japan. “Being made from three different plant fibers, washi is natural and resilient,” she enthuses. “It is the perfect medium for calligraphers and designers, who decorate it with historical patterns and modern motifs.”
Nakano discovered that washi is also great for making jewelry because it’s so adaptable. “Washi can cover any surface: round wooden beads, cardboard trays, glass pendants, steel plumbing tools, cork coasters,” she says. Her class on September 9 will focus on making a souvenir washi pendant necklace using wooden beads; in the process, participants will learn techniques of looping and wrapping, how to make an adjustable knot, and how to lacquer washi projects. Another class on December 16 will utilize plumbing hardware, like washers.
Washi is acclaimed for having properties like no other paper: it is strong, light, acid-free, translucent, and uniquely textured. It also absorbs inks and dyes well, and resists creasing and tearing. Nakano is excited to share its possibilities. “With a few simple tools, some ‘tricks of the trade,’ and a lot of patience, anyone can enter the wonderful world of washi.”
This workshop is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information and to register, click here for September 9 and here for December 16.
