Paper carving by Japanese craftsman Akira Nagaya

Thirty years ago, while working as a clerk in a sushi shop, Akira Nagaya mastered the technique of creating decorations for ready-to-eat meals by carving patterns from bamboo leaves. He was so fascinated by the activity that he later took up the art of kirie in earnest, using only paper and a knife.

1. Today, Akira Nagaya is one of the few masters in the world who can create such delicate paper patterns.

2. True, Akira Nagaya did not forget his first profession: at the age of 47, he opened his own restaurant.

3. Not so long ago, Japan hosted the first solo exhibition of works by the master, who today is considered the best paper cutter in the country.

4. The art of paper carving originated in China around the first century AD during the Han Dynasty and was called jianzhi.

5. Initially, paper cut patterns were used to decorate gates, windows, lanterns and partitions inside the house. The women did it.

6. In the 8th-9th centuries AD, the art of jianzhi spread throughout Asia.

7. If in China, red paper is mainly used for carving, then in Japan there are no such strict rules.

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