WHAT IS CHIYOGAMI?

Beautiful Japanese patterns that are silkscreened onto machine made sheets of mixed kozo and sulphite.
Kozo is Japanese tissue paper, and sulphite a compound used in the process of silkscreening the design to the material.

Traditionally, in silkscreening processes, your design has up to five colours in total.

Each sheet is made for a different element in the design.
Each colour is transferred to it’s respective sheet, and the colours are applied in layers – starting with the base colour, and lastly, the colour chosen for smaller detail in the pattern.

Example of process:

Image Credit: Japanese Paper Place

These patterns and designs originated in the Edo era as woodblock prints were made by papermakers during their farming seasons to accessorize the decor in homes.  They were based on bright Kimono designs and fabric patterns – linked to the wealth of the larger cities’ population.

Originally, these papers were made to be cut in to tiny pieces and then manufactured into paper dolls or pasted and applied on boxes and used in other arts and crafts.

Kimono designs and patterns normally reflected different symbolism that are rich in Asian tradition.  Cranes implied a long life, bamboo implied flexibility, plum blossoms and pine boughs for beauty and longevity.

The handmade portion of these papers can mean that Chiyogami/Yuzen papers are more costly (ranging from R270 – R500 a sheet. One sheet can accommodate 1-4 invitations, depending on the element of design it is used on), but the sheer brightness and beauty of each design brings a splash of creativity and meaning to your wedding day stationery.

Examples of CHIYOGAMI used in Wedding Stationery Design:

EXAMPLES OF PATTERNS AVAILABLE IN SOUTH AFRICA:

 Contact me if you would like to know more about creating your own custom Chiyogami Wedding Invitation.