'Washi', also known as 'Wagami' is a wonderfully versatile long-lasting paper made in Japan using long-established techniques. 'Wa' (Japanese) combined with 'shi'(paper) is deeply rooted in the cultural landscape; 'washi' is the paper of choice for artisans, artists, architects, calligraphers and for the creation of paper screens and 'shoji' (folding screen) found in every Japanese home.
The Japanese love of nature is an essential part of the nation's cultural ethos and it is marvelously expressed in the wide-ranging usage of 'washi' in a multitude of ways. Traditional Japanese homes assimilate and combine four essential materials - wood, earth, reeds and paper in its creation and daily usage. 'Washi' uses fibers from shrubs common to the Japanese countryside, even bamboo, hemp, rice or wheat as a basic material resulting in superior quality, durability and longevity, in fact up to an amazing 1,000 years of continuous use. In a hot and humid country, breathable, translucent, ubiquitous 'Washi' is essential material for folding screens, sliding doors and lanterns to create warmth and elegance and used in many traditional arts such as 'origami' calligraphy and in ritual vestments and objects for Shino priests and statues of the Buddha.
Paper and ink were used in China for centuries before being introduced to Japan by Doncho, a Korean Buddhist priest (1610). Welcome as this new material was, the Prince Regent Shotoku, deemed the Chinese-style paper not robust enough and he encouraged the alternative use of 'kozo' (mulberry) and hemp fibers already widely cultivated to produce raw material in the creation of textiles, including beautiful Japanese silk. Under his patronage, the technique of making paper evolved slowly into the 'nagashizuki' process and in the doing evolved into a Japanese method in its entirety. Knowledge passed down through generations of dedicated artisans produces a paper often beautiful and always sturdy and functional while relating totally to the individual maker making this relationship between creator and creation an inborn part of Japanese culture. Here, as elsewhere, modern life requires the massive use of industrial paper-making yet new, creative applications and a rebirth of traditional usage, 'washi' is making a come-back, in Japan and with increasing popularity abroad.
The production of 'Washi' is similar to commercial paper using plant fibers but the process requires less noxious chemicals to break down the pulp paste into a useful end result 'Kozo' (mulberry bark), 'gampi' tree and 'mitsumata' shrub are most commonly used although other sources are also occasionally used.
- Kozo - Indigenous to Shikoku and Kyushu islands the most commonly used fiber for making Japanese paper is extracted from the 'Kozo' tree. Long known to provide the stuff of sturdy paper, 'Kozo' fiber was also weaved into textile fabric. 'Kozogami' paper is especially strong when treated to be water-resistant.
- Mitsumata - Native to China, the 'mitsumata' bush has been used since the 17th century in the production of excellent paper. It features an ivory colored, fine surface especially favored for 'shodo' (traditional Japanese calligraphy,) and in delicate printing, for example, during the Meiji period in the production of paper currency.
- Gampi - Native to mountainous areas of Japan and resisting attempts to cultivate, the 'gampi' bush is called the 'king of washi'; it remains the rarest and most expensive provider of 'washi' fiber. 'Gampishi' has a natural reddish cream color and a smooth, shiny surface particularly used in books and artisanal crafts.
Traditional 'washi' is produced across Japan, however, Echizen, Mino and Tosa localities are the three major centers of manufacturing for the fine paper product.
ECHIZEN Imadate-cho in Fukui Prefecture is the ancestral home of 'Echizen-washi' dating back 15 centuries; it is yet the most popular traditional paper in present-day Japan. Premium quality 'Echizen washi' a traditional thick paper used in Buddhist rituals, and strong yet smooth 'torinoko' paper are prized local products.
TOSA Going back a millennium, Japan's main producing center of hand-made paper, Tosa, is proclaimed the 'Kingdom of Washi'. Local paper is praised for excellence, including softness married to strength and durability with numerous choices in varieties of fine paper. Raw material, tools and techniques are unique to the Kochi area.
Producing 'washi' is a labour intensive craft requiring an intricate process often during winter weather as pure, cold, running water is essential to quality paper. Cold water inhibits bacteria that hastens the decomposition of fibers but simultaneously contracts these fibers thus producing a crisp feel to the touch of the paper. Two methods dominate national output - 'Tamazuki' and 'Nagashizuki'. The former is Japan's most ancient and doesn't require the addition of 'neri' (mucilage) by allowing the pulp to drain and dry naturally; the latter requires mucilage and keeps the paste moving in the mold until the desired result is achieved.
1.'Hakuhi' branches are cropped and stripped of their bark.
2.'Sarashi' fibers are dipped in clean running water to wash away bleach and impurities.
3.'Shajyuku' boiling lye removes starch, fat and tannin.
4.'Chiritori' removing impurities and non-fibrous material by hand.
5.'Koukai' a sturdy oak stick is used to break down and loosen the fibers.
6.'Kamisuki' poured in a tank and mixed with 'neri' (mucilage) fiber paste is suspended and made knot-free, followed by 'suketa' (paper-making mold) dipped in vat and shaken to spread evenly the fiber stock.
7.'Kanso' paper sheets are exposed to the sun on a wooden board to dry.
8.'Senbetsu' sheets of dry paper are individually sorted by hand.
9.'Saidan' sheets are cut according to size requirements.
Long-lasting and beautiful, wondrous 'washi' is used in a multitude of ways, from Buddhist and Shinto traditional vestments and rituals, to multi-purpose artist's medium, to applications for everyday usage in the home with further limitless possibilities open to imaginative thinking and creativeness. Lately, in increasing ways, 'washi' is growing in the creation of interior designs and decorations. In increasing numbers, people who desire to remodel or furnish a room without fuss or fanfare turn to 'washi' as a primary source of material to effect satisfying change without great expense. Tables and shelves take on a new, fresh appearance when lined with a well-chosen paper; self-proclaimed interior decorators even use it as an imaginative wall-paper that is easy to paste on or remove if damaged or fancy turns to another direction. Not least important, 'washi' paper made of natural fibers is an ideal material for those seeking a harmonious relation with a green and natural environment. 'Washi' is easily affixed to surfaces with a simple paste made of flour and water thus avoiding chemical sprays or glues. Although a traditional Japanese craft and product, it is finding increasing usage and a home in a Western-style interior decors.
The Japanese love of nature is an essential part of the nation's cultural ethos and it is marvelously expressed in the wide-ranging usage of 'washi' in a multitude of ways. Traditional Japanese homes assimilate and combine four essential materials - wood, earth, reeds and paper in its creation and daily usage. 'Washi' uses fibers from shrubs common to the Japanese countryside, even bamboo, hemp, rice or wheat as a basic material resulting in superior quality, durability and longevity, in fact up to an amazing 1,000 years of continuous use. In a hot and humid country, breathable, translucent, ubiquitous 'Washi' is essential material for folding screens, sliding doors and lanterns to create warmth and elegance and used in many traditional arts such as 'origami' calligraphy and in ritual vestments and objects for Shino priests and statues of the Buddha.
Paper and ink were used in China for centuries before being introduced to Japan by Doncho, a Korean Buddhist priest (1610). Welcome as this new material was, the Prince Regent Shotoku, deemed the Chinese-style paper not robust enough and he encouraged the alternative use of 'kozo' (mulberry) and hemp fibers already widely cultivated to produce raw material in the creation of textiles, including beautiful Japanese silk. Under his patronage, the technique of making paper evolved slowly into the 'nagashizuki' process and in the doing evolved into a Japanese method in its entirety. Knowledge passed down through generations of dedicated artisans produces a paper often beautiful and always sturdy and functional while relating totally to the individual maker making this relationship between creator and creation an inborn part of Japanese culture. Here, as elsewhere, modern life requires the massive use of industrial paper-making yet new, creative applications and a rebirth of traditional usage, 'washi' is making a come-back, in Japan and with increasing popularity abroad.
1.'Hakuhi'
2.'Sarashi'
3.'Shajyuku'
4.'Chiritori'
5.'Koukai'
7.'Kanso'
9.'Saidan'
Long-lasting and beautiful, wondrous 'washi' is used in a multitude of ways, from Buddhist and Shinto traditional vestments and rituals, to multi-purpose artist's medium, to applications for everyday usage in the home with further limitless possibilities open to imaginative thinking and creativeness. Lately, in increasing ways, 'washi' is growing in the creation of interior designs and decorations. In increasing numbers, people who desire to remodel or furnish a room without fuss or fanfare turn to 'washi' as a primary source of material to effect satisfying change without great expense. Tables and shelves take on a new, fresh appearance when lined with a well-chosen paper; self-proclaimed interior decorators even use it as an imaginative wall-paper that is easy to paste on or remove if damaged or fancy turns to another direction. Not least important, 'washi' paper made of natural fibers is an ideal material for those seeking a harmonious relation with a green and natural environment. 'Washi' is easily affixed to surfaces with a simple paste made of flour and water thus avoiding chemical sprays or glues. Although a traditional Japanese craft and product, it is finding increasing usage and a home in a Western-style interior decors.