Japanese Kiri-e Art / Hand-cut Paper / Genbu (Black Tortoise)

Product Description

Product Story

General Product Information

Genbu is a sacred beast from East Asia. It is the northern of the four deities that protect the east, west, south, and north. It is represented by a snake and a tortoise entwined with each other.
This paper cutout is made of hikifaku, which is Japanese paper covered with lacquer and gold leaf. By partially floating the paper cutout and attaching it to the mount, it becomes three-dimensional, accentuating the delicacy of the paper cutout.

Marked on the screen and signed on the reverse (wooden frame, acrylic panel)

 Product History

When did these crafts start to craft?：1200 years ago / 800AD / Heian period in Japan

The roots of kirie are ancient, with the oldest extant kirie in Japan dating back more than 1,200 years. It is preserved in the Shosoin Repository and is believed to have come from mainland China. They were given to each other in the New Year with wishes for health and prosperity.

Craftsman Story

Craftsman Profile

Megumi Mochizuki
Born 1978 in Kanagawa Prefecture, currently living in Kyoto since 2013.
Started working as a paper cutout artist in 2002 while a student at Tokyo Gakugei University.
Utilizing the tense and transparent beauty unique to paper cut-outs, he has created many large-scale installations in traditional architecture such as temples and tearooms. His recent work focuses on the mythology and ancient thought of East Asia.

Craftsman Passion

The roots of kirie are ancient, with the oldest extant kirie in Japan dating back more than 1,200 years. It is preserved in the Shosoin Repository and is believed to have come from mainland China. They were given to each other in the New Year with wishes for health and prosperity.
All of the works by paper cutout artist Megumi Mochizuki shown here are made of handmade Japanese paper using traditional techniques. This allows for long-term preservation and long-lasting transmission to future generations.
Each piece is unique because it is made by cutting by hand using a knife.
The delicate beauty with a sense of tension created by cutting a sheet of paper without failure is the charm of kirie.

 

Your Contribution to Craftsman

Customer Voice

Due to the market structure (link for full articles are attached bottom), craftsman have not known who the customer is and how customer reacts to their work. We made a “Message to Craftsman” box at purchase page. We will deliver all message to every craftsman. Our review will be also shared to craftsman so please leave your comment and evaluation on review section!

Income for Craftsman: Craftsman get only less than 10% of selling price?

As written above, craftsman have not controlled last phase of sales channel that resulting in selling price is set by third-party without craftsman’s recognition. There are some cases that only less than 10% of selling price is given to craftsman. We promise with our customer / craftsman that we offer the fair trade with craftsmen in our contract!

We made an article about above problem and our challenge. Please have a read from below link.
Current state of the Crafts Market / Benefits brought by Suigenkyo

Measurement

Width：40.7cm
Depth : 3cm
Height : 31.7cm

Material & Caution

Materials

Japanese paper

Caution

This product is a one-of-a-kind item.