Care & Aging

Care & Aging

This is not the most
beautiful it will be.

On the nature of linseed oil, washi, and time

The Hime-wagasa you receive is not finished. It is at the beginning of a process that will continue for as long as you keep it. The washi paper, treated with linseed oil, will change colour slowly over years — from white, through pale yellow, toward a deep amber. In the language of traditional wagasa-making, this is called kareru: to age into completion.
The Change

White to amber.
Years, not months.

The linseed oil applied to the washi during production continues to oxidise slowly after the piece is complete. Exposure to light and air accelerates the process.

The result — over years of living in a room — is a shift in colour that cannot be predicted precisely, because it responds to the particular conditions of the space the piece inhabits.

This is not deterioration. The structural integrity of the washi is not affected.

The change is purely in tone — and the tone it moves toward, the deep amber of aged linseed oil on handmade paper, is considered by the craftspeople who make these pieces to be the most beautiful state the wagasa can reach. You will not see it immediately.

It comes with time.

The piece you have now and the piece you will have in ten years are both the same object. Only one of them is finished.
The same piece, years apart. The amber is what the linseed oil becomes.
Daily Care

Very little is required.
Restraint is the practice.

  • LightAmbient light is good for the piece — it supports the aging process evenly. Avoid placing the Hime-wagasa in direct, intense sunlight for extended periods, which can cause uneven colour change across the surface of the washi.
  • HumidityWashi and bamboo are natural materials that respond to their environment. A normally ventilated interior is appropriate. Avoid sustained exposure to high humidity — bathrooms, kitchens near steam — which can affect the bamboo ribs over time.
  • DustA soft brush or dry cloth, applied gently. No water, no cleaning products. The washi is resilient but not impervious — treat it as you would any piece of handmade paper.
  • HandlingThe structure of the Hime-wagasa is designed to be opened and closed. It does not need to remain fixed in one position. If you choose to adjust it, open and close it slowly — not because the mechanism is fragile, but because it deserves that attention.
Repair

Handmade things
can be repaired.

If the washi sustains damage over time, repair is possible. This is one of the qualities that distinguishes a handmade object from a manufactured one: the same hands that made it can address what happens to it.

Please contact KURAKURA. We will consult with Tsujikura's atelier and advise on what is possible.

What is made by hand can be returned to hand. That option does not exist with things made otherwise.
Care & Aging · KURAKURA · Kyoto