Washi necklace with a modern contrast of black and gold 1401

Hello everyone.

Today, I would like to talk about a necklace of Washi paper accessories after a long time. It is a favorite necklace that I myself never get tired of looking at, and I wear it often. It is a series of black washi paper balls to which gold leaf used for Buddhist statues is randomly applied, and the original coating makes it safe even when wet with water or sweat.

I have been making this Washi necklace since 2014, so it is a long seller in our house.

The following is a bit off topic, but it is distantly related.

I started working on the development of Japanese paper accessories around 2008, and managed to complete it around 2010, after which I spent 2-3 years exploring randomly.

I felt (and believed) the potential of washi accessories and washi itself, and in 2013 I quit the family business (Nakamura Bijutsu Kogei Ltd.: a company specializing in processing washi) and became independent (under the brand name ARATA at the time). However, one day, I would like to run a business that combines the family business with the strength of washi! I should! I have been thinking about it for eight years. I believe that the timing has finally arrived, and this time I have decided to relocate and integrate the washi accessory brand business and the family business.

The family business is a one-man company. My father has been a craftsman for decades, and the senses I have cultivated just clash with his, and to be frank, I cannot convey a single piece of them to him. It is natural that they live in different times and have different values, but their personalities and sensitivities are the complete opposite of each other. I often hear stories like this around me. It is especially common in traditional industries that are run by families. Is this the right thing to do? I am conflicted, but I believe it is also filial piety, and I remember the voices of those who support me every time I hear them, and I am determined to go on my own way! I am spending my days with a strong feeling of "I am a good person.

The path you choose is the best path. The path you take without missing the flowers blooming on your way is sure to be enjoyable. Kuniko Oyake wrote in her book.

So, for me, who had been working in the family business related to shrines and temples until I became independent, working in the fashion industry was like an infant suddenly being taken by his/her parents to preschool for the first time, a world I really knew nothing about.

I didn't know what was right and what was left, and it was September 2013 when I started exhibiting at "rooms," a joint exhibition of design and fashion, and this is a series of Washi paper accessories I made for the show.

Also available in white and gold.

I remember that applying gold leaf randomly was also quite a trial and error process. I thought that it would not be interesting to make my own Buddha images unless they were random, like the ones that have been handed down from olden times to the present that have been stripped or blackened by the accumulation of soot and time, rather than the ones with shiny, newly made gold.

So, in my opinion, I still can't get enough of it. I like the fact that it is a unisex design, easy to match with mode, street, and various genres of clothing, and that it is unique and not like anyone else's (I am proud of myself, but that is how much I like it).

This is the story of one of my favorite necklaces, which is no longer available in the online store. Writing about it made me nostalgic for 2014.

By the way, I have been wearing a pair of earrings from the same series for more than two years now, and they are still working fine. The gold leaf is just starting to peel a little. If it comes off to the point that I am concerned about it, I will fix it by putting gold leaf on it again at random. I am planning to let you know about the before (when completed), after (2 years later), and after (after reapplying gold leaf) of these earrings in a separate blog.

So, please take care of yourselves as the hot days are still continuing.