The following are some basic references on Suminagashi:
Benson, Jake. “Historical References to Marbling in East Asia.” Society of Marbling Annual. (2005): 20–27. | Excellent overview of what is known or surmised about the origins of suminagashi. |
Chambers, Anne. Suminagashi The Japanese Art of Marbling A Practical Guide. Thames and Hudson, 1991. | Includes Narita’s history, Chambers meetings with contemporary (at the time) artists, basic techniques and some photos of modern and classic papers |
Guyot, Don. Suminagashi: An Introduction to Japanese Marbling. Brass Galley Press 1988. | A good, basic introduction and guide to the process of suminagashi. |
Narita, Kiyofusa. A Life of Ts’ai Luing and Japanese Paper-making, revised and enlarged edition. The Dainihon Press, Tokyo. 1966. | The chapter on suminagashi provides an overview of history of the subject |
Yagi, Tokutaro. Suminagashi-zome. Translation by Kyoko Muecke. Wood Engravings by Rik Olson. Marbling by Robin Heyeck. Woodside, CA: The Heyeck Press, 1992. | Describes Tokutaro Yagi’s process for silk suminagashi dyeing – a complex process, even the patterns he made are complicated, and as can be seen in the Gallery, different patterns were used for fabric than paper. |
Rabinovitch, Judith N. and Bradstock, Timothy R. The Kanshi Poems of the Ozasa Tanzaku Collection: Late Edo Life Through the Eyes of Kyoto Townsmen. International Research Center for Japanese Studies. Kyoto, Japan, 2002. | Contains good, general information about the development and use of Tanzaku, and translations of some of the poems in the collection although none that are specific to the suminagashi examples. |
The following table lists some of the sources for materials I have found most useful:
Washi Arts | Good source of Japanese papers, hand and machine made – my primary source | https://www.washiarts.com/ |
Hiromi Paper | Another good source of Japanese paper although provides a little less information about the respective papers (sizing, etc) | https://hiromipaper.com/ |
Kremer Pigments | Source of pigments and other supplies for ink preparation | https://shop.kremerpigments.com/us/ |
US Plastics | Offers a good range of trays, some quite large, suitable for suminagashi | https://www.usplastic.com |