Kado Koh, karakami

In the softly reflecting light of washi paper, a fluffy pattern floats to the surface. Although it is a white pattern on a white ground, the micaceous particles in the paint give it a particular shine. This is one corner of Nishijin, where craftsmen maintained the kimono culture of Kyoto. Once the home of hairdressers, it transformed itself into a base of modern graphic design and traditional tezuri technique to give birth to a new kind of "paper" -Kamisoe. After studying at an American university, the proprietor of Kmisoe, Kado Koh, was active a a graphic designer in the United States. However, the more he learned of Western design, the more aware he became of native Japanese design. It was after he returned to his hometown of Kyoto that he encountered karakami.