Kamism Lab: Beautiful, Original Japanese Paper
Kamism Lab is a shop that specializes in manufacturing traditional Japanese paper, known as washi or wagami. The Kawashima Planning Company opened the shop in April 2011 to put traditional techniques to use in creating paper with modern designs and colors, for use in interior design. The paper is typically placed on walls or around lighting fixtures. In addition to the paper, the shop also sells stationery and accessories, which are neatly lined up on shelves around the shop. According to Kamism Lab’s Watanabe Mayuko, customers often find it hard to believe that some of the items for sale are made from paper.
Visitors to the shop can get hands-on experience in some traditional techniques and crafts, such as woodblock engraving, kushibiki, and suminagashi. Kushibiki is a technique that involves scraping a comb (the kushi) across plaster to create beautiful patterns. Suminagashi is an art with over 1,000 years of history. Ink (or sumi) is dropped into water and the intricate patterns that form on the surface are carefully transferred onto a sheet of paper. Watanabe says that the main objective is to get customers to appreciate the ever-expanding possibilities that exist with art on paper.
The products and tools on display give customers a deeper understanding the traditional crafts. The shop’s masters demonstrate their engraving skills right in front of visitors’ eyes.
Woodblock prints. The person at left has created a wonderful impression of Tokyo Skytree. Visitors can experiment with the kushibiki technique shown at right.
A piece of paper with “thank you” written in many world languages (left). The red corsage is made with the same paper. Paper that has been damaged in the printing process, or that is left over after wallpapering, is sold at a discount in one corner of the shop (center). Postcards and drink coasters are ideal souvenirs (right).
Watanabe Mayuko from the sales department and Nakanishi Katsuteru from the production department.Kamism Lab
• 3-7-11 Narihira, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (two minutes from the B2 exit of Tokyo Metro Oshiage station)
• Tel. 03-5637-8571
• Opening hours: 10:00 to 18:30 (workshop closes at 16:45). Closed on Tuesdays and national holidays, unless the holiday falls on a weekend. (Workshop closed on Mondays too.)
• Parties of four or more must make a reservation to visit the workshop, where visitors can try their hand at making woodblock prints and kushibiki plaster patterns. It costs ¥1,000 to make three postcards with a personalized woodblock and takes around 15 minutes.
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