Japanese Grasspapers (kudzu)

As with many things in our collections, our interest in the grasspapers (kudzu) began with an interest in the materials themselves. In this case, student Naoko Namoto from UCL helped to kick off the project in 2018, which led to a funded conservation project the following year.

Professor Mayaso Inaba became interested in the Silver Studio grasspapers after hearing MoDA’s Head of Collections, Zoe Hendon, speak about them in Japan in 2018. As a result, Professor  Inaba has been working on kudzu textile history and her research has revealed the importance of the production of Kudzu textiles for the first time. They were made in Kakegawa and were one of the cultural goods exported from Japan to the West during the Meiji period. Professor Tsugawa Hyouei of Kobe University, a leading expert on kudzu textiles, confirms that the grasspaper in the Silver Studio Collection was produced in Kakegawa.

This is more fascinating evidence of the link between Japan and British companies such as the Silver Studio. We look forward to collaborating further with Professor Inaba, and to lending items to an exhibition in Kakegawa in 2025.