Paper pleasures

I'm a bit of a sucker for the paper products here in Japan. There are so many beautifully designed items and the smaller they are, it seems, the more appealing they become. I picked up these little treasures today in a beautiful washi shop in Nihonbashi. They are envelopes that only measure about 1.5 inches square and I'm intrigued to know what they are used for. If anyone can shed some light on this, please do!

Ikenaga Yasunari

On saturday I went to the Tokyo Art Fair at the International forum, an event where galleries from all over Tokyo come to display their wares. As you can imagine, there is quite a variety of works, from heavily traditional, to ultra modern.

One artist that really inspired me was Ikenaga Yasunari, a Japanese man who depicts beautiful Japanese women wearing exquisite printed garments and reclining on printed throws. I love the combination of old and new, of a rather retro 1970s feel in the choice of colour, mixed with the modern poses of the women. He uses a Japanese technique called Nihonga. This usually involves sumi-e ink or natural pigments which are bound by a glue and then applied to washi paper or silk, but he has chosen to paint onto canvas, which gives it a rather modern yet earthy feel. Nihonga is usually known for its pure, luminous colour and this shows in the skin of the women he portrays.The Nihonga painting style gives his work a timeless feel and I desperately want to own one!