The planned exhibition “Dai Fusuma-ten” will start at the Paper Museum (Shinzaike-cho, Echizen-shi, Fukui) on September 6, 2019.
Fusuma are doors that allow people living in Japanese houses to arrange their spaces freely. Echizen City Hall organized the exhibition as a special exhibition. The concept of the exhibition is to rediscover the goodness of fusuma.
52 fusuma doors are displayed in the museum. There is also a 4.5 tatami-mat Japanese-style room with walls and corridors. Visitors can actually open and close the sliding doors.
The museum is located in the Imadate district, where Echizen washi paper is made, and is said to have a history of more than 1000 years.
Some companies sell handmade fusuma paper. They make white paper that makes use of the texture of the material, paper designed to fit a modern Japanese-style room, paper with other designs according to orders.
The items on display are from “Taishi-kai” consisting of 5 local manufacturers of handmade fusuma paper. Some are made by putting dyed fibers on Japanese paper to give a three-dimensional finish.
Echizen City Hall planned a fusuma exhibition. To introduce to architects, designers, and consumers the appeal of handmade large paper, which is a feature of production areas. The members of Taishi-kai also had a plan that they could actually see fusuma papers saying, ‘Japanese people are less likely to see fusuma in daily life.’.
She adds:. “The delicate expression created from the fingertips of the craftsmen is the highlight. I would like you to watch carefully the skill of handmade Japanese paper.”
Related events are held during the exhibition.
- Live painting by NISHIMOTO Yuki, a sumi-e artist based in Fukui (September 7 13:30)
- Live painting by aiMIKI, an illustrator and designer living in Echizen City (October 11 13:30, October 12 10:00)
- A demonstration of replacing fusuma papers by the University of Tokyo club “Tokyo University Fusuma Club” (September 6, 7 / October 12, 13, 14), and a talk show by the club (October 13)
- Tour of Fusuma paper factory by Echizen City Tourist Association (October 12, 26)
The tour costs 1,500 yen.
Open: 9:30 to 17:00 (admission ends at 16:30)
General admission: 300 yen, free for high school students and younger
Closed: Tuesdays (open on public holidays)
Period: September 6, 2019 to November 11, 2019
(The article was published by Fukui Keizai Shimbun.)
