Awagami's home of Tokushima is the birthplace of Japanese organic Indigo where farmers have been cultivating it for centuries. The humble beauty of Indigo was revived during the 1965 Japanese folk-crafts or Mingei" movement that also led to a new international appreciation for this natural hue. The hand-dyed Indigo Danzome (wave) appearance of the book covers represents the varying tones of blue seen in a single ocean wave. The Indigo Bokashi (crinkled) appearance of the book covers will vary slightly from book to book as a result of being individually hand-dyed. The Orihon (accordion-fold) style book features covers finished with Indigo dyed 30gsm Japanese "lampshade" paper and contains 40 pages of 81gsm Hosho paper suitable for all drawing and writing media.
The Awagami Kakishibu collection features natural Persimmon tannin dyed book covers in Shima (striped) or solid brown designs. The rich brown Persimmon pigment has been used for waterproofing Japanese paper umbrellas for thousands of years and has now has come back into fashion as an eco-friendly colorant for clothing and accessories. The Orihon (accordion-fold) style book features covers finished with Persimmon dyed 42gsm Kozo paper and contains 40 pages of 81gsm Hosho paper suitable for all drawing and writing media.
The bamboo paper in Awagami sketchbooks is a fine organic choice for artist and designer alike, exhibiting notable benefits and advantages over cotton based papers. The luxurious texture of Bamboo paper is similar to silk and softer than cotton, making it an excellent choice for drawing in pencil, sumi-ink, pastel and gouache. Contains 70% bamboo fibre plus 30% mixed recycled washi fibre. 100% acid free. Made in Japan with no fluorescent bleaching.