Kami, for folding
Thin, crisp squares coloured on one side. They take a sharp crease, hold it overnight and forgive a reverse fold. From 7.5 cm for a thousand cranes to 24 cm for the long models.
The Studio Mix
Washi studio and origami paper · Echizen, Fukui
Paper that keeps every fold.
Kozo washi dipped in a single indigo vat, and origami kami cut to the size you fold. Open the swatch book, choose a shade, and we post it from the studio the same day.
- From
- ¥1,100 a pack
- Shades
- 12 indigo dips
- Posted
- Same day by 14:00
02
The indigo swatch book
Ai-zome kozo · 64 × 94 cm · 48 gsm
From undyed kozo to the deepest kon.
Every sheet goes into the same vat. Lifted once it stays a breath of blue; lifted thirty-two times it turns almost black. Point at a sheet to read it, or tab through them with the keyboard.
03
Kami and washi
Kami folds · washi holds
Washi, for binding and light
Long kozo fibres make a sheet that is soft yet hard to tear. Bookbinders line spines with it, calligraphers write on it, and it glows when you hang it in a window.
All washi sheets
04
Fold a crane
One 15 cm sheet · about ten minutes
From a square to a crane.
Coloured side up, fold corner to corner, unfold, and repeat the other way.
Turn the sheet over. Fold edge to edge both ways and unfold.
Bring three corners down to the fourth along the creases. The open end points down.
Fold the lower front edges to the centre line, crease firmly, then unfold.
Fold the top triangle down over the kite creases, crease, and unfold it again.
Lift the front layer up along the creases and flatten. Turn over and repeat: this is the bird base.
Fold the lower edges to the centre on both sides, then inside-reverse-fold the two thin points upwards.
Reverse-fold one tip into a head, ease the wings down and breathe into the hole beneath to open the body.
1 / 8
05
In the Studio Mix
Our first pack for new folders
Everything for a first evening of folding.
- 100 kami squares, 15 × 15 cm, 70 gsm
- 24 colours, coloured on one side, white on the other
- A crane guide card with the steps above
- Glassine sleeve and a stiff board, so corners arrive square
- No foil or patterned sheets — add those in the pack builder.
¥1,650 100 sheets · in stock
Build your own pack
06
The studio
Open Thursday to Sunday
Shinzaike, Echizen
Shiho dyes. Kenta cuts. You can watch both.
The vat sits in the back room of a 1950s paper merchant’s house. Shiho tends the indigo; her brother Kenta cuts kami on a guillotine older than either of them. On Saturdays the long table is free for anyone who wants to fold.
Plan a visit
07
Questions
Before you order
What buyers ask us most.
Which paper should I use for my first crane?
A 15 cm kami at 60–70 gsm. It is large enough for clumsy fingers and thin enough for the petal fold. The Studio Mix is exactly that, with a guide card.
What does the shade number mean?
How many times the sheet went into the vat. Shade 01 is undyed kinari, shade 12 has been dipped thirty-two times. Indigo is a natural dye, so each batch sits a touch lighter or darker.
How much is delivery, and how long does it take?
Within Japan ¥900 by Yamato, 1–2 days. Worldwide ¥2,400 by EMS, 5–10 days, and free over ¥15,000. Large washi sheets travel rolled in a tube; kami travels flat between boards.
Can I return paper?
Unopened sleeves and tubes within 30 days for a full refund. Custom packs from the pack builder are cut to order, so we replace them only if they arrive damaged.