There are certain materials that a traditional Japanese Nihonga painter absolutely cannot do without. Paper, mineral pigments, animal protein, and brushes. And of those items, I consider the most sacred of them all to be paper. The most popular TV drama this year follows the life of author Lady Murasaki who lived 1,000 years ago. In it, the beauty of paper from Echizen is mentioned many times. We learn that as famous throughout Japan as it was, even to the people of the Heian imperial court Echizen paper was considered a great luxury. During the more than forty years I have been painting in Japan, of the many kinds of paper created in Echizen, the one I use the most is called torinoko, named for the white color and texture of a chicken’s egg. I am constantly impressed by its strength and beauty. Until my first introduction to Japanese paper, when I thought of paper, I thought of the kind of mass produced cheap mimeograph paper which didn’t particularly impress me all that much. Nevertheless, as a nihonga painter painting hanging scrolls and folding screens, my interest in Japanese paper naturally rose to a near obsession.