So, just what is a washi tape, anyway? It is a decorative tape made out of rice paper. It comes in a plethora of colors and many different designs. It is commonly used in art and craft projects, specifically paper crafts. It is a staple scrapbooking embellishment.
Washi Tape, or Japanese masking tape, first originated in Japan by the company Kamoi Kakoshi Co., Ltd. under the name MT masking tape. It all started in 2006 when puzzled Kamoi received an email from a small group of women who created a book using their industrial masking tape. The email stated that they would like to tour their facility before working on a second book using their masking tapes. Confused Kamoi did not initially respond to this curious email, and later received a package from the women; It contained colorful, beautifully designed pages all done in masking tape! Kamoi eventually agreed to let the women tour their facility, and their marvel and fascination at the tape making process filled Kamoi with great pride. Later, they received a second book filled with more beautiful pages from 17 different artists, all using their masking tape to create a thing of beauty! The women requested that Kamoi create more masking tape colors. Kamoi did not hesitate after a big art exhibition in Tokyo and lots of media coverage; they took the plunge and began to work on creating the perfect rolls to use for crafts and design! They not only created many more colors, but also designs that were cute and functional.
Did you know that creating the perfect hue of washi tape is a difficult process? Because of the consistency of the rice paper, creating the ideal color, especially light colors, is hard to produce because it’s easy to get a dull hue. It was a long and arduous process, but eventually Kamoi created washi tapes in colors that resembled flowers in a field. They called it mt, because, well, that’s what everyone in the company referred to it as! They decided to give the colors traditional, archaic Japanese names and chose packaging that would be aesthetically pleasing. Thus, washi tape was born! It is loved and cherished by many in the arts and crafts community as a staple in the creative paper craft process.
Today, there are even more manufacturers of this cute craft tape. Kamoi might have been the first, but they paved the way for companies like Classiky and MARK’s who have helped in the development of the decorative tape revolution.