The Unbelievable Paper Cut-Out Art of Akira Nagaya

Summer sparkler made from paper
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Akira Nagaya is a kiri-e (cut-out art) artist who creates incredibly delicate and intricate works of paper art with a concentration so sharp and a hand so steady he could perform neurosurgery on an ant.

Well, close enough.

Miniscule paper ant
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Nagaya begins by drawing or painting a picture and then painstakingly cutting away all negative space, a process which can take anywhere from a month, as with the below Sky Tree sketch, to as much as a whole year for a large scale piece.

The completed cut-out is then removed from the paper and attached to a removable backing, allowing it to be held and admired up close.

Nagaya's interest in paper cut art was sparked in 1988 with a visit to a sushi restaurant as a young man. He became fascinated by the chef's hand-cut bamboo leaf dividers and was compelled to try it for himself. Since then his works have been featured on Japanese television numerous times and his cut out art routinely sells for tens of thousands of dollars a piece. The below 'Phoenix' work, however, which took a full year to complete, is priced at 12,000,000JPY or approximately 100,000USD.

"Phoenix"
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Phoenix, right (mirrored)
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Phoenix, left (mirrored)
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Close-up of the phoenix feathers

So fine are Nagaya's cut-outs that they have been likened to hair, which he has tackled in some powerful kabuki cut-outs:

Kabuki
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And you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a real leaf skeleton (though the sweet little rabbits are a bit of a giveaway):

Leaf skeleton with rabbits
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Nagaya is even able to preserve the fine brushstrokes of calligraphy when transforming picture to paper art:

Script
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In addition to his larger scale artistic works, Nagaya also makes cute and clever pop-up pieces cut from a single post-it note.

Hammock
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He has reproduced a number of charming Ghibli scenes using this technique.

Kiki's Delivery Service
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Laputa, Castle in the Sky
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Mei and Totoro
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A number of popular manga and anime characters have also popped-up:

Astro Boy
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Doraemon
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Old Man Eyeball of Gegege no Kitaro
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Recently, Nagaya was selected to decorate an illuminated BB-8 for "The World of Star Wars : Force for Japan" exhibition in Tokyo last month which showcased Japanese artists' and craftsmen's take on the latest film.

Nagaya with his paper cut-out adorned BB-8
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You can follow Akira Nagaya on Facebook and find more unbelievable artworks on his Official Website.