Mesmerizing Memory Paper: A Pioneering Art Form

“My designs are a collection of many symbolic figures that express feelings and experiences aggregated across time and space.”
—Tetsuya Nagata

A ride on the elevators of the luxury hotel Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills is no ordinary experience—it’s like ascending to new heights of contemporary beauty. The exquisite work of Japanese artist Tetsuya Nagata hangs on the walls of the hotel’s five elevators, inviting you to be transported to another world, even just for a while.

Nagata is known for creating the new artistic technique he calls Wagashi Zanmai or “memory paper,” which combines the two traditional Japanese art forms of Washi—the delicate handmade traditional paper used for origami—and Wagashi, the art of making ornate sweets traditionally given at celebratory events. Yet, instead of filling the intricately carved wooden Wagashi moulds with sugar, Nagata places handmade Washi paper inside. This results in three-dimensional characters that come alive—exuding personality, spirit, and wisdom.

For instance, one of the artworks found at the Andaz Tokyo hotel elevator entitled Where the Mantis Dwells depicts nature’s cycle of life—at its centre are flowers from all four seasons in full bloom. “Below the flowers is a swimming carp, and above them is a leaping carp. The composition is a polarity between the water and the sky,” Nagata says.

Inspired by an ancient myth, the carp soaring in the air reaches a waterfall to enter the “gate of the dragon, or the gate of success. The carp then transforms into a dragon with a jewel that sees everything.”

Butterflies, symbolizing transformation, also figure in Nagata’s work. They flutter around flowers and are joined by grasshoppers, dragonflies, and a praying mantis, all of which are hidden at first glance. “Insects have been considered a symbol of positive growth because they only move forward,” Nagata says.

Like the caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly, Nagata believes artists should also be progressing. Every day, he asks himself the same question, “How can I make something that no one has ever done before? How can I blow a new wind in the world? I believe this is what it means to be an artist,” he says.

With the Wagashi Zanmai technique now featured in prestigious museums and establishments like Ozu Washi Gallery, Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum, Chiba Prefectural Museum, and the Kabukiza Theater, not to mention luxury hotels and private estates, Nagata has not only pioneered a new art form, he is also redefining modern art itself.

A meeting of tradition and modernity

Modern art typically has a distinctively minimalist aesthetic, stripped of ornamentation and texture. In more extreme forms, contemporary art veers from the fundamental objective of art, which is to make something beautiful.

Wagasi Zanmai is a highly detailed art form rich with textures, thanks to the softness of Washi fibers, which infuse the piece with personality and life-like quality. While it’s a novel art form, Wagasi Zanmai endeavours to highlight the tenets of traditional art—handmade craftsmanship, harmonious and pleasing aesthetics, and deep philosophical inspirations. In many ways, Nagata’s work is traditional art reinterpreted for modern times.

“Beauty is something I’m always aware of as a goal,” he says. “It’s the resonance between the work and the viewer’s mind, the encounter of purity or innocence, the white brilliance of a moment. This is fundamental.” Nagata conveys this purity by making his work primarily in white.

Over the twenty years he spent developing the techniques of this art form, Nagata collected more than 2,000 traditional wooden Wagashi moulds. Describing them as his “cast of characters,” he refers to these charming moulds as sea breams, chrysanthemums, and deities.

Some of the moulds in Nagata’s collection date as far back as the Edo period (1603–168). When he finds a mould, he tries to connect it with stories and memories the artisans may have wanted to convey while carving them. In admiring these ancient moulds, Nagata is also inspired by the level of craftsmanship that went into making them, as well as the perfect balance between ornamentation and simplicity.

Nagata’s standard of excellence is also seen in his choice of Washi paper. He uses Nishinouchi paper, which is made from the finest mulberry bark and is regarded as an Intangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government. The technique to make this type of paper was developed in ancient China and later brought to Japan in the seventh century. Nagata decided to use Nishinouchi paper because of its unique, dualistic properties of pliancy and strength, allowing him to mould it into sculptures.

“While the beauty of a piece might seem simple to some, there are several elements that need to be brought together, organized, and controlled,” he says. It takes anywhere from three months to several years for Nagata to complete a piece of art, a process that requires immense patience, dedication, and courage.

Moreover, the pursuit of beauty also changes him internally as an artist. “By looking for beauty in each moment, you find yourself in a state of unrestrained mindfulness,” he says. “This exaltation of the mind is the barometer for creating beautiful art.”

A symbolic spirit

Nagata infuses his artwork with traditional philosophies, symbolisms, and spiritual sentiments not typically found in minimalistic modern art.

Washi paper and confectionery moulds, which are Negata’s main materials and tools, have fascinating roots tied to sacred traditions. In Japan, people used to offer confectionaries for special occasions like the Shichi-Go-San—a Japanese rite of passage for young children—weddings, New Year’s celebrations, and Momo-no-Sekku, or Girl’s Day, when people prayed for their daughters’ future happiness, health, and growth.

The wooden moulds used to form these confections had various shapes and patterns, such as sea breams, cranes, turtles, pine, bamboo, and plum, all of which carried rich symbolism and meaning in Japanese culture. “Wagashi Zanmai, or ‘memory paper,’ holds people’s memories of spirituality, prayer, and celebration,” Nagata says. “These memories include those from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and many eras including the Edo, Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods.”

“My designs are a collection of many symbolic figures that express feelings and experiences aggregated across time and space,” he says. “Their timeless, universal sentiment transforms them into something immeasurable.”

While Nagata features many diverse characters in each piece, his artwork includes recurring themes, such as memory, polarity, time and space, water, and beauty. He expresses these through his three-dimensional paper anthropomorphic figures and objects.

For example, Nagata often combines flowers, creatures, and water in his art, with the vision of creating a fantastical world with philosophical undertones. “Water is constantly changing its appearance,” he says. “The changing surface of water, waves, waterfalls, and clouds evoke a variety of images. Its radiance, movement, transparency, and calmness make me feel as if I can lose myself in the water and be at peace with myself. Flowers and water allow one to surrender oneself to a state of emptiness.”

Nagata says that these universal themes and truths are as relevant today as they were centuries ago. “Flowers have the appearance of being open to space—like a mind that’s open and liberated. Animals, on the other hand, are closed to space, but their hearts are open,” he says. “When we gaze at a flower or touch nature, we feel happy. Flowers and nature are wonderful beings that resonate with our hearts, opening them.”

Japan’s four seasons and the beautiful, raw elements that go with them serve as a constant source of inspiration and joy for Negata and his art. “To be creative is to encounter a new you. Creating makes new impressions on people, touching them,” he says.

People from all over the world who visit Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills are deeply moved by Nagata’s artwork. “Inside the elevator, there’s an unexpected and innocent encounter between art and people. Within the confines of this space, you’ve been filled with the beauty and liberation of visiting a museum or gallery, and then you’re released into the outside world.”

Nagata is not only enriching the art world with his new approach to art, but he is also lifting our spirits and thrusting us into a fantastical yet contemplative space in the process.