Imadate Town, Fukui prefecture, the most famous place in Japan when it comes to hand-made paper production.		Imadate Town, Fukui prefecture, the most famous place in Japan when it comes to hand-made paper production.
	Traditional Japanese garden with pond and Japanese carp in Mr. Iwano's back yard.

During my stay in Japan in June 2001, on the invitation of Mr. Masato Tatewaki, vice-governor of Oita prefecture and Mr. Tsuyoshi Saito, mayor of Aki Town and president of Biennial, at the southernmost of all major Japanese islands, Kyushu, I as a member of a jury took part in the realization of the first biennial of European illustration, BEIJ 01 - 2001. On that occasion I was fascinated with the hospitality, friendliness and perfection of the organization of the event at all levels. After the Biennial had finished, I visited Mr. Iwano and Imadate Town, the most famous Japanese town when it comes to the tradition of hand-made paper production. This tradition goes back for centuries and there they even have a 900 hundred years old temple dedicated to the god of paper.

Typical Japanese interior found in Mr. Iwano's home.	Typical Japanese interior.
Typical Japanese interior.

Nadayuki Hasegawa, my acquaintance, is the director of the Biennial, owner of a private museum of European art in Japan, and a regular guest of Novi Sad. With him I have been co-operating for the past three years in the realization of "The Iwano Project", exhibition of works of art on hand-made Japanese paper produced by Mr. Heizaburo Iwano. Mr. Iwano's family has been in the paper making business for over 300 years. At present, Mr. Iwano is one of three best and most famous masters in Japan. A thorough photo presentation with about 1000 photos on a CD ROM was done by Mr. Nikola Stojanovic.