Akiko Fujikawa is a long time West Dean tutor in Japanese woodblock printing and has played a pivotal role in organising the unique papermaking and indigo dye courses taking place during Japanese week at the end of May. These courses see master craftsman Yoichi Fujimori and wife Mieko fly in direct from Japan to host two unique courses on endangered crafts. The courses promise to be an enlightening insight into these traditional crafts still carried out by hand at Awagami Paper Factory, Tokushima. At her recent Japanese print-making course we sat down to discuss the importance of these courses.

How did you come to be involved with washi papermaking?

I’m originally a printmaker but now also a papermaker and I’m incredibly passionate about teaching craft papermaking because it's dying out. Despite my Japanese heritage I didn't know that Japanese paper was the best in the world, it wasn’t until I met a Norwegian papermaker who talked about the quality and process that I started looking into it. Since then, I’ve been trained by Awagami paper factory little by little and I’ve become a papermaker myself. The process is beautiful and requires great skill and the end product is incredibly high quality and is very strong. The paper is made from kozo fibres and despite the thin nature of the fibre it is incredibly strong because the fibres are very long in length – it’s a marvellous, beautiful, strong paper.

The course will be taught by Yoichi Fujimori, what makes him so special?

It all began with Yoichi’s father, he was a highly celebrated craftsman and he won awards from the Emperor, so craftmanship is in his blood! When his father passed away Yoichi Fujimori inherited the Awagami Paper Factory, his skill, everything. He not only makes but teaches and is passionate about collaborating with artists and making paper more interesting to use. In that sense he’s a very modern age paper maker as well as having that more traditional knowledge. He has followed in his father’s footsteps as has also been awarded ‘Order of the Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays’ by the Emperor

I hear that you are hoping to play a part in keeping this craft alive, how do you do this?

This is a very important question and comes down to equipment as much as it does knowledge. Around 8 years ago, I was looking to source my own equipment to make paper in this way in England and asked around only to find there are only 5 people in Japan that make papermaking equipment. Of those 5, only one of them makes equipment for other people. This person invited me to his factory and agreed to supply me with equipment. Due to illness though this meeting never took place and so no one is making equipment anymore, it really is dying. Fortunately, Mr Fujimori had connections with another manufacturer in Thailand and really helped me to source equipment.

It really is rare now, in Tokushima there used to be 30 papermakers, now there are only 3 – it seems no one wants to do such time-consuming work. This way of making is rare and special and it’s not happening many places in the world. Inviting Mr Fujimori here to teach is out of respect, I don’t want to teach papermaking here before he does, his craftsmanship and skill deserves respect. My hope is that I in turn can teach someone who can continue to practise and teach and keep this skill alive. I may be 77, but fortunately, I’m still able to do the DIY and I’ll teach until I die! I really want to pass on wood block printing and paper making skills to future generations.

Yoichi’s wife Mieko is also teaching a course here on indigo dye artworks on Japanese paper, can you say a little on this?

When Mr Fujimori’s father learnt that indigo dyeing on paper almost ceased to happen around 200 years ago, he incorporated this practice into his work. His mother went on to become a master craftswoman and Mieko learnt from her. When I’ve seen indigo dye it's usually all been on textiles, I realise it was possible on paper until I investigated. The results are beautiful and it’s a great privilege to have Mieko teaching a course here too.

Both Yoichi and Mieko Fujimori’s courses will be conducted in Japanese and interpreted by Akiko. Find the full programme of Japanese week here.