Japanese Wallpaper

History of Japanese Wallpaper

Wallpapers were introduced from China to Japan during the Heian period. However, instead of being attached to the wall of each home like the current wallpaper, it developed independently as a folding screen, fusuma, shoji. Around the Edo period, gold foil was used for folding screens, and the design aspect became even more important, and it will be used as a luxury item and a work of art. Even then, the culture of putting wallpaper on ordinary homes was not in place.

After World War II, wallpaper will become widespread due to reconstruction demand in Japan, construction of hotels for the Tokyo Olympics, and housing construction rush during the period of high growth. In particular, the condominium boom occurred in the 1960s, and the “complex type” condominiums supplied by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation became accepted by many as a “new form of living”, and at the same time the condominiums were accepted and the wallpaper spread widely. From that perspective, wallpaper has come to be of great value and has exploded into popularity.

Nowadays, many wallpapers (cloths) using various materials such as vinyl chloride, paper and textiles are produced. However, most of the materials actually used in Japan are mainly vinyl chloride wallpaper (cloth). It is said that the penetration rate is 90% or more. As for the color of the Japanese wallpaper, more than 80% are plain white or beige wallpaper. On the other hand, overseas, it is rare that white or beige plain wallpaper is used, and most of the wallpapers are colored or have a pattern or design even if they are plain. It can be said that this area is a difference in national character.

However, in Japan in recent years, the DIY boom has gradually spread, and more and more people are applying their own wallpapers. As the number of people who put up wallpaper while enjoying themselves has increased in this way, wallpaper that has a little bit of color and wallpaper with patterns such as wood grain pattern and brick pattern has become popular. In addition, recently, there is a product called "Peelable wallpaper" that can be used even in rental rooms that need to be restored to its original state, so in the future, wallpaper with a fashionable design like overseas will be accepted by many people. Is it not?

With the widespread use of wallpapers and the improvement of development technologies, not only wallpapers with rich design but also wallpapers with added functionality have appeared. For example, wallpaper with special functions such as wallpaper with allergen reduction function and wallpaper with deodorant and antibacterial function are lined up as wallpaper of each manufacturer. Currently, almost all Japanese wallpaper (vinyl chloride cloth) has a "mold" function. Of course, old wallpapers did not have a wallpaper with such a function. From now on, wallpapers with such added functionality will become popular.

Japanese Wallpaper Singapore

Here at Honpo, we are one of the biggest Japanese wallpaper shops in Singapore, boasting 5 of the biggest brands from Japan (Sangetsu, Lilycolor, Sincol, Toli, Runon). Their wallpapers equip with many unique features such as help both cleaning maintenance of wallpapers and deodorization. These wallpapers have special coatings on the front surface that make it easy to remove stains from coffee, soy sauce, water-based markers, etc. They are ideal for use in property entrances and restrooms.