Quiet Friends

In this set of books, a Japanese couple consisting of two artists, Chie and Rei Ito, create tranquil tales with recycled and homemade paper. Quiet Friends is wrapped in Huroshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloths) and includes three separate picture books. Chie and Rei Ito don’t advocate any particular moral or lesson through their stories. According to them, complex, multifaceted and engaging stories can appear to be rather simple. All stories are published in four languages: Japanese (original), English, Norwegian, and Chinese.

  • Chie Ito (Japan, 1989) is a writer. She is in charge of writing stories and the character setting in her cooperation with the illustrator, and husband, Rei Ito. She used to make plush toys at Tama Art University. Around the same time, she began to create characters and stories.

  • Rei Ito (Japan, 1989) is an illustrator. He is in charge of drawing and scene composition in his cooperation with the writer, and wife, Chie Ito. Rei studied European art at Tama Art University. He worked in a traditional Japanese art studio and made hanging scrolls and folding screens. He uses traditional Japanese techniques for illustrations, such as Japanese Kozo paper, natural pigments, Sumi ink, glue, glue made from wheat flour, and natural grass dyeing.