08. Kamikoromo small pouch
It is believed that these methods of producing paper were introduced to Japan by Doncho, a monk from Goguryeo, but there are also accounts of these methods developing independently in Japan. Paper production in Japan emerged in the eighth century in places like Mimasaka, Izumo, Mino and Echizen.
01. Kamikoromo haori
Kamikoromo are paper robes made of handmade washi paper. Today, kozo, mitsumata and gampi are the principal raw materials for washi. Kozo is prized for its long, tough fibers. Konjac paste is added for strength and the paper is sewn with hemp yarn and cotton yarn. Like kimono, kamikoromo are constructed with a simple composition of shapes.
02. Kamikoromo kimono blouse
Cosmic Wonder's kamikoromo get their white color from the kozo plant. Kozo is cut at the root and steamed in a barrel over a fire in order to separate the bark. The bundles of fibers are placed in a cold stream for one to three days. The branches are boiled and stripped of their outer bark and then dried. The fibers are then boiled, placed in running water, and naturally bleached. The rinsed fibers are placed in a strainer floating in water for further cleaning and then laid on a board and beaten. Once they have dried overnight and have been softened by stamping or hand-rubbing, they are ready to be made into washi.
03. Kamikoromo skirt
Paper has long been celebrated in Japanese life for the important role it plays in many rituals, ceremonies, and countless everyday activities. In ancient times, Buddhist priests pasted together paper scraps to make kimonos. This tradition lives on in the form of kamikoromo and in the ceremony called 'omizutori', which is performed at the Todaiji Buddhist temple in Nara. Ippen Shonin (St.Ippen) traveled throughout Japan wearing kamikoromo.
04. Kamikoromo kimono dress
From the Muromachi period onward, kamikoromo spread out through the samurai culture. The one worn by Kenshin Uesugi (one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period) is thought to be the oldest surviving kamikoromo. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a preeminent daimyo) owned a kamikoromo haori (the reverse side was dyed with kobai). By the middle of the Edo period, the use of these paper robes had expanded to the general population. This is the time of Basho, the greatest haiku poet and a wearer of kamikoromo.
05. Kamikoromo dress
Their lightness and heat-retaining quality made them popular among travelers and traveling haiku poets. Kamikoromo embody the sense of wabi-sabi, emphasizing the rustic beauty of nature. In the present day, techniques for the production of traditional paper clothing are still practiced in Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture.
06. Kamikoromo gassai-bukuro bag
Composed of handmade washi Japanese paper and hand-loomed choma fabric.
07. Kamikoromo clutch bag
Paper can be traced back as early as 3000 B.C., in the form of Egyptian papyrus. An early form of paper also came into use in China during the Han dynasty, circa 200 BC. Hemp and choma (ramie) were the raw materials for paper making at that time.
08. Kamikoromo small pouch
It is believed that these methods of producing paper were introduced to Japan by Doncho, a monk from Goguryeo, but there are also accounts of these methods developing independently in Japan. Paper production in Japan emerged in the eighth century in places like Mimasaka, Izumo, Mino and Echizen.
01. Kamikoromo haori
Kamikoromo are paper robes made of handmade washi paper. Today, kozo, mitsumata and gampi are the principal raw materials for washi. Kozo is prized for its long, tough fibers. Konjac paste is added for strength and the paper is sewn with hemp yarn and cotton yarn. Like kimono, kamikoromo are constructed with a simple composition of shapes.