Paper Restaurant 2015
"Taketori Monogatari"

ー The Power of The Paper ー

The illustration shows the Heian period made by 21 papercraft artists.



Title: "Magical Bamboo"
Concept:
The sense of magical mystery inhabits the empty hollow. I developed my ideas and set it in bamboo grove that has a mystical atmosphere, showing a soft sunlight and a breezy wind. The characters are hidden in a bamboo tree to mask their hearts. I tried to find which shape of bamboo is the strongest and how to cut or weave paper so it would look delicate.


Stick black stripes on a sheet of white paper horizontally. Then cut a strip of paper vertically and do not cut each strip off. Curve the parts that are cut into strips. Then join the ends of the paper together to form a tube of bamboo.

One of the key words is "weave". I use the bamboo concept because "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" is considered the oldest extant Japanese folktale.

Cut a sheet of paper into leaves and stems, then assemble the pieces to form a hanging mobile. Hang it from the top of the bamboo, it will sway when the air moves.

In drafting the characters, I change the proportion of the length and the width to show the deference of each figures. Tear a figure along the line with bare hands, and assemble the pieces into a ring to form a 3D character.

"Five princes came to her house to offer marriage. However, the princess order impossible tasks for them to give up, because she doesn't want to get married with anyone."

"One of the princes trying to get a specified shell from the swallow's nest. But he fell headlong to the ground and got a fatal injury." I made swallows hanging mobiles.

"The Emperor also heard the reputation of the beautiful princess. He saw her by surprise and her great beauty captivated him though he's aware of her origin. Her feelings have changed while she is exchanging letters with the Emperor."

"Every time she look up at the moon, her eyes are filled with tears. When the day came, the full moon rode in the sky."

Paper Restaurant 2015
"Taketori Monogatari"


Oct. 25, 2015 〜Nov. 1, 2015
Open 10:00〜17:00(Entrance free)
TOPPAN FORMS building
〒105-8311 1-7-3
Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

"The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter"
    (Taketori Monogatari)
Japan Papercraft Association web site