Kobayashi Yasuo is a washi, Japanese paper, artisan. Born in Kadoide, Niigata Prefecture, he is a representative of Echigo Kadoide Washi and a founding member of Kadoide Washi Cooperative Production Association, which was established in 1976. Having started out cultivating paper mulberries, which are used as the raw material for kozo paper, since 1982, Kobayashi has been deeply involved in projects that focus on evolution of washi – from promoting exchanges between urban and rural areas, to repairing thatched houses and using them as work spaces. In 1985, a Japanese sake named Kubota that uses washi for its labels was launched. It has now sold over three million units and its production has generated employment in the local region. In 2004, Kobayashi opened Koshino Kigami Kobo, a washi workshop. Since 2015, he has pursued the radical school Daichi no Gakko’s plan to “enrich the five senses”, that’s based on the belief that traditional skills are needed for the future.
