is a Japanese art form in which the primary technique uses coloured

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

that is torn to create images, and may resemble a water colour painting. The technique dates from the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

Japanese history The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new invent ...

when it was often used in conjunction with calligraphy. Handmade paper is essential for the creation of ''chigiri-e'' images.

History

In Japan's Heian period ''chigiri-e'' was used in conjunction with

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

Poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

were written on a background of either plain or decorated coloured paper, such as in the textural passages of the Genji scrolls and the

Sanju Rokunin Kashu Sanju-rokunin Kashu (Collection of Thirty-six Anthologies) is a set of illuminated manuscript codex from the early 12th century containing a collection of ''waka'' poems by thirty-six master poets (Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry). The were original ...

. In the 11th century calligraphy paper was usually white or light blue: it could be decorated and coloured and then mounted onto a support. ''Chigiri-e'' has become a popular art form. It can be used to create either realistic images or abstract ones. Its use in Japan is often decorative, using flowers and landscapes as subject matter. The paper may be coloured by the craftsman paper-maker but many chigiri-e artists colour the paper themselves, using vegetable

dyes A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

, coloured inks or powder pigments. The paper most often used is Tengujoshi: a handmade, long-fibered, very light weight paper (0.03 millimetres thickness). The craft of paper-making had almost disappeared until, in the early 1900s, a craftsman developed Tengujoshi, one of the strongest and finest papers currently made. The craft takes three years to learn. This paper, due to its strength, transparency and lightness, is also used for repairing and restoring paintings and other art works. The paper can be made in any range of colors, or may be uncolored. Although very light weight its long fibres assure its strength. It is made with 100%

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

and is sifted through bamboo boards woven with a layer of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

; only about 100 sheets may be produced in one day. There is also a less-labour-intensive machine-made version of Tengujo paper.

Themes

Traditionally Heian calligraphy backgrounds incorporated

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

patterns and themes and are often used in woodblock techniques to achieve them (grasses, bamboo, water). These themes are still used. Colorful

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

s could be made with torn (''chigiri-e'') or cut (''kiri-e'') paper. Some were further decorated with colour pigments or metallic dust. This provides the under-drawing for aristocratic calligraphy. The combination of texture and transparency results in a characteristic richness of colour. "Colour names and layered colours are woven throughout Heian poetry and literature. The use of layered colour is also found in clothing in this period. In many collage techniques found images are used but in chigiri-e the torn paper itself is used to create images.

References

{{Authority control Japanese art

History

Themes

See also

References