Dosankodebbie's Etegami Notebook

One of my favorite Japanese art blogs out there belongs to Deborah Davidson, who was born and raised in Japan. She lives in Hokkaido and is a translator of Ainu folklore and the novels of Miura Ayako, among other things. She is also an etegami artist and has a blog devoted to this charming folk art tradition.

Etegami are simple drawings or paintings, traditionally done in sumi ink and gansai watercolor, accompanied by a few appropriate words. They are usually done on postcards and meant to be exchanged with friends. The images and words are often about everyday or seasonal objects and can be whimsical, poetic or humorous.

Back in July Deborah tweeted that she wanted to put together a series of hydrangea etegami, so I sent her a couple of haiku about hydrangea. She put my haiku on two of her etegami, and then was kind enough to send them to me! Here they are posted above. I love her drawing style and am especially fond of the sleepy cat. I'm brushing up on my painting so I can send her an etegami in return. Check out the entire beautiful hydrangea gallery on her blog. 

Learn more about etegami by checking out Deborah's wonderful blog here, and her gallery of mail art here, where she posts etegami and other mail art that she receives. I'm thrilled how etegami not only keeps the tradition of sending and receiving "real" mail alive, but how each piece is a unique creation.

Deborah also has blogs about Ainu oral tradition, Miura Ayako and traditional Japanese sweets called My Wagashi Chronicles.