The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books

Deepen your understanding of rare books and Japanese culture The papers inside books can last hundreds of years if cared for correctly. This course will look at the history of papers used inside Japanese rare books, and in other cultures across the world. You’ll learn about the materials and technologies used to produce Japanese papers, particularly the use of traditional washi paper. You’ll understand the crafting process used to create Japanese rare books, including the use of design and decoration techniques. You’ll find out how to identify the different types and varieties of papers used in Japanese rare books. This course is aimed at anyone interested in Japanese rare books and papers. It may be of particular interest to librarians and bookshop professionals, researchers and designers. The course makes use of a number of visual resources which may unfortunately make some of the activities not accessible to learners with a visual impairment. Course videos are provided in Japanese with English subtitles. This course can also be studied alongside two companion courses, Japanese Culture Through Rare Books and Sino-Japanese Interactions Through Rare Books. The Educators/Hosts will facilitate this course for about three times a year. Our next facilitation period is 11 May - 24 May, 2020. While the Educators themselves aren’t available to facilitate this run, we encourage you to engage with other learners and there are opportunities to do this throughout the course.