Kigami and Kami-ito is beautifully structured much like that weekend tutorial. Karuno respects and understands fine paper. When she writes of paper handmade with care she teaches you that it is that care and the attention that accompanies practice that matter. She reminds you to slow down in order to comprehend the paper with all of your senses and to imagine the character the spun thread possesses. She teaches you to attend, to touch, to smell, to listen to the soft voice of the tools and the paper. Shifu is the completed textile woven with paper as weft and sometimes also as warp. In order to make shifu one must begin with good kigami. In her introduction to Kigami and Kami-ito, Karuno reiterates the essential three questions she originally had about shifu: How does it feel? How heavy is it? How does it wear? Although Karuno originally learned to spin and weave wool in Japan and was aware of the existence of shifu, it was not until she moved to Canada that she began to research shifu and experiment on her own. In 2000, Karuno went to Japan and met with shifu weaver Kazuyo Kajiyama. "Until I held her kimono," writes Karuno, "shifu did not seem real to me." Studying actual shifu specimens and learning from Kigami and Kami-ito: Japanese Handmade Paper and Paper Thread reviewed by velma bolyard Hiroko Karuno demonstrates position for spinning. All photos courtesy of Hiroko Karuno. Kigami and Kami-ito: Japanese Handmade Paper and Paper Thread Hiroko Karuno. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Hiroko Karuno, 2013. 88 pages. 101/8 x 71/8 x 1/2 inches. Text in English and Japanese. Printed in Japan, color photographs throughout, bound-in paper sample of Koshi-no-kigami-kobo by Kadoide-washi, Niigata prefecture. summer 2015 - 45 experienced shifu weavers were critical in forming a foundation for further exploration. Kigami and Kami-ito also includes a useful bibliography that lists texts in English and Japanese about shifu, including Susan Byrd's comprehensive new book. \[Editor's Note: See Sukey Hughes review of Byrd's book in the Summer 2014 issue of Hand Papermaking.\] Kigami and Kami-ito is a treasure for students of papermaking and hand spinning. The beautifully designed cover suggests the act of spinning, focusing on craftsmanship. Karuno takes the reader on a journey from making kozo washi to setting the twist in a finished skein of yarn. Upon opening the book you see the title page through a creamy sheet of Koshi-no-kigami-kobo, the paper (kigami) she favors for much of her work. Touching a superbly appropriate paper for spinning is a haptic lesson that slows you down, inviting you to ponder that specific paper and compare it to others. I found myself referring back to this paper throughout my reading. The author's text is in English on the left, and on the right Japanese, while the many photos weave together both texts. The photography by herself, others, and her husband Kenji compliments and clearly illustrates the text. Part One of Kigami and Kami-ito is about kigami or Japanese handmade paper, particularly about the kozo paper she prefers made by Kadoide-washi in Niigata prefecture. Hiroko presents a thoughtful explanation of hand papermaking in Japan focusing on kozo (paper mulberry), illustrated by photographs taken at the Kadoide- washi papermill that supplies her paper. She explains the difficult job of the papermaker who must produce hundreds of sheets with the same thickness and fiber configuration necessary to make a kimono length of finely woven shifu. With humor she writes that she cannot make paper as well as she makes shifu; it would take too many lifetimes. Part Two describes the series of steps involved in making kamiito, paper thread, accompanied by her husband's precise photos of the process. I found myself nodding as I remembered her tutorial from that weekend—it really feels like she is talking to you. The book ends with instructions on preparing the skeins for the next step: weaving shifu. She concludes with a reminder that making kigami and kami-ito are special skills and are in fact ways that connect us to the gift of handwork. Also included are several photos of unattributed, yet exquisite work, reflecting Karuno's character by drawing your attention to the work itself, not the maker. Using this book as a guide you can understand the entire process of choosing and preparing appropriate paper for weaving. Karuno reminds us, "Good quality paper is not just made by skilled papermakers; sometimes a papermaker with less experience will pay more attention to spreading the fibers evenly from edge to edge. Each sheet of paper shows the papermaker's nature, and when your hands become accustomed to handling materials, you can judge the quality of the paper. This is the same with any handmade art or craft: the work reflects the character of the maker, whether in papermaking, paper-thread making, or shifu weaving." Karuno eloquently explains her process, "When I make kamiito I use all my senses: I look at each sheet carefully; I listen to the sound of the paper; I smell the condition of the paper; I feel how the paper is behaving. In this way my instincts are sharpened and I work with the paper rather than on it." It's my hope that Hiroko Karuno will follow this inspired book with a second about weaving shifu.
