Washi Greeting Card - Medium - Kagami-mochi

This New Year greeting card has a festive depiction of kagamimochi (a stacked mochi offering that serves as a dwelling place for the deity toshigami). The kagamimochi play a part in welcoming toshigami (a Shinto deity of abundant harvest) into the house at New Year. The two round mochi, one smaller than the other, are said to symbolize the going of one year and the coming of the next. Sat on top is a daidai, (Japanese bitter orange) its name refers to generations and its placement on the mochi represents the continuity of family.

This depiction is dyed using the katazome technique on washi (Japanese handcrafted paper). The katazome dying method involves applying a thin layer of paste, usually made from rice, over a stencil to protect the negative areas of the illustration. Then pigments are placed to dye the areas not covered by the paste, combining tones to create an organic warmth with expressive vibrant colours. The process ends by washing off the paste and leaving the paper to dry slowly.

Card size: 14×10.7cm

Envelope size: 16.2×11.4cm