Throughout the world and its history, cut-paper art has been recognized as one of the most commonly employed means of expression, both artistic and religious. In France, Denmark, Switzerland and other European countries, its technique has been well-demonstrated by the wide range of artists, from street performers to embroidery designers to fine artists. The native Mexicans have been using cut-paper figures of God in certain religious ceremonies for centuries.
In Japan, people have always used paper extensively in their daily life, from small lamps and Byo-Bu (an ornamental room partition) to windows and even room doors. Origami (folding-paper art) , popular in America in recent years, has been enjoyed by Japanese children for many generations. The Japanese art (especially in painting, wood block and other forms of print-art as well as in calligraphy) owes much of its characteristics to artists’ attempt to best present the unused portion of paper as a meaningful part of their work.
SENGA is a highly refine and complex form of the traditional Japanese cut-paper art called kirigami (ki-ri-ga-mi). While kirigami is generally considered to be a traditional craft, SENGA, with its delicate combination of over-all simplicity and intricacy of lines, curves and colors, has established itself as a legitimate form of art in Japan.