Hyogu is a general term that includes scrolls, hanging scrolls, folding screens, Fusuma (sliding doors), Shoji (paper sliding doors), and other items such as walls mounted by cloth or paper, as well as their restoration. Its history dates back to ancient China, where Hyogu was used to decorate and protect calligraphy and paintings from age-related damage and moth infestation. Hyogu is believed to have been introduced to Japan with the arrival of Buddhism, as a technique to mount sutra scrolls. Later, regular- and hanging scrolls developed in Japan along with picture stories and the culture of the tea ceremony, while folding screens and sliding doors were valued as fittings suited to the Japanese climate. Kyoto, with its many temples and tea ceremony culture, is one of the most popular areas for Hyogu in Japan. Kyo-hyogu (Hyogu made in Kyoto) has a reputation for the reliability of its techniques and the elegance of its finish, and is recognised as a traditional craft designated by the national government.

We visited the workshop of Kyo-hyogu Inoue Koukundo in Shichikuushiwaka-cho, where the good old Kyoto still remains, and asked Toshihiko Inoue, the third generation of traditional craftspeople, to show us their working process. He said “When you open the inside of a folding screen or a sliding door, you will find a wooden frame covered with layers of Washi paper. The first step is “Hone-shibari”, which is binding the frame with strong Washi paper using thick glue to prevent the frame from flattening over time. The second is the “Do-bari” process, which prevents light from penetrating the paper. The third is “Mino-gake”, a triple-layered covering of paper of different widths, glued on three sides to allow air to enter from below. The base will be then completed by mounting “Mino-osae” in the end. There are eight or nine stages of mounting before it is finished.”

The layers of scrap paper, unimaginable from the outside yet beautifully finished with Chinese paper and pictures, are a valuable source of information about life in those days. “Sometimes I can’t help but stop working to read it, wondering what it says. I like exploring, and I have once travelled through the old map I have found. I have even found the name of a Hyogu craftsperson on an old wooden frame. When I come across the work of a previous craftsperson I have never met, I feel like I am trying to beat them at their job. It is like a time capsule. I should also leave a message for my juniors 100 years from now.” laughs Mr Inoue. He sometimes gives classes at universities, which has made him rethink the meaning of Hyogu. He continues, “Washi paper must have inhaled and exhaled air to regulate humidity and protected against mould and insects. It is hot and humid, so artisans must have known the possibility that people will open doors up completely. Being an island nation, people didn’t have to worry about sudden enemy attacks, but they must have had something to fear. It is the same with warding off the unseen, but it is only in Japan that you can create a sense of the seasons and a sacred place with just one partition.”

Today, the number of orders from overseas has increased to 20%, and Mr Inoue says that Hyogu is a world-class high-tech skill that can continue over a long time without impacting on the environment. With the decline in the number of traditional Japanese houses, he has been working on new products relevant to modern life such as the “Ima-doko” folding screen and the “Hotaru-kago” meditation space.

– photo explanation –

［Ⅰ］The base is prepared with a brush. The use of transparent scrap paper (old documents or account books) is an ingenious way of avoiding waste in an age when paper was precious. It is hard to find nowadays, but can be found in antique stores.
［Ⅱ］The process of “Mino-gake”, which is the layering of three pieces of scrap paper of different widths.
［Ⅲ］The process of “Do-bari”, which prevents light from shining through.
［Ⅳ］Takeya-machi kinran (gold brocade) is a thin woven fabric made of silk from Kyoto’s Takeya-machi and gold thread. It has been a typical material for Hyogu, and is fundamental for decorating hanging scrolls.
［Ⅴ］A layer of lottery tickets revealed from the inside of the folding screen. In the olden days, lottery tickets were sold at temples.

Photography by Tomoko Hayashi
Text by Tomomi Takezoe
Translation :Naoko Mabon (WAGON)