As a rule of thumb, there are two types of Japanese papers: “pre-Industrial Revolution washi” and “post-Industrial Revolution washi.” In a process that has been in use for more than one thousand years, pre-IR washi is made from locally grown fiber, cooked with supernatant wood ash fluid, soda ash, or lime, and bleached by sunlight. In the late nineteenth century, Japan started mass production of Western-style paper when wood pulp and chemicals were first introduced to Japan. The term “wa-shi” (meaning “Japanese-paper”) came into use at that time to distinguish handmade paper made in the Japanese tradition from machine-made papers utilizing Western technology.
As demand increased for cheaper paper with faster delivery, washi manufacturers adopted industrial papermaking methods such as introducing chemical pulp, inexpensive imported fibers, and chemical agents for cooking, bleaching, dyeing, sizing, and so on. For example, caustic soda and chlorine (or hypochlorite) relieved papermakers from chiritori (removal of debris from the fiber by hand), one of the most painstaking and time-consuming processes in Japanese papermaking. These new materials and chemicals have made a remarkable contribution to productivity and saved much cost and labor. The market also welcomed post-IR washi because of its affordability and similarity in appearance to pre-IR washi. However, as we discovered over time, the chemicals used to make post-IR washi eventually weaken the fibers and accelerate deterioration of the paper.
Japanese Papers: A Return to Pre-IR Washi moriki kayoko
The Osaki paper studio sunbleaches their papermaking fiber in a water pool in the mountains of Kochi prefecture. March 2002. All photos by and courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted. Bundles of kozo wood stalks (after bark is stripped off ) rest against a traditional Japanese building in Etchu Gokamura village, in Toyama prefecture. Photo by and courtesy of Inoue Toshihiko.
The Japanese papermaking industry has been reluctant to acknowledge the wide variation in quality that now exists and the differences between pre-IR and post-IR washi. The sad fact is that some makers and distributors take advantage of the market’s lack of knowledge, thinking only about their immediate profits, while causing great damage to the papermaking industry. One could also say that post-IR washi has now become something of a “tradition” because it has been in place for well over one hundred years. In fact, there are innocent papermakers who believe their post-IR methods are “traditional” because that is what they have been doing for several generations.
Quality and durability may not matter for many consumers as long as they are happy about price and appearance. However, for some users, such as conservators and artists, strength, longevity, absorbency, and evenness of fiber distribution are critical aspects of pre-IR washi that can contribute to the effectiveness of a work of art, or the preservation and protection of important works and collections. The problem occurs when consumers who require the quality and performance of pre-IR washi unwittingly purchase post-IR washi. They may feel deceived, and we will lose the trust that our ancestors worked so hard to establish throughout history.
It is not so much an issue of whether it is handmade or machine-made. There are excellent, high-quality machine-made papers which are being made from raw material prepared by hand in the same manner as it is for pre-IR washi. In this case, the sheet forming and drying are done by machine, making high quality paper available in large sizes, on a continuous roll, with uniform thickness and quality. Manufacturers can also make machine-made paper with faux deckled edges, simulated laid lines, and even artificial brush marks to look like hand-dried sheets. Personally I believe that these methods can help to attract consumers to washi. However, what is deeply troublesome is when manufacturers and distributors pass off these machinemade papers as handmade and traditionally crafted washi. I have even seen instances of Chinese and Thai papers labeled as washi by Japanese companies. Not only is this inaccurate, it is disrespectful of these countries’ own handmade paper traditions.
There are many historically named types of washi: Tengujo, Usumino, Kizukishi, Sekishu, Hosho, Hosokawa, Kochi, Mulberry, Kitakata, Okawara, Uda, and Misu, to name a few. While these names seem very specific, it is not enough to judge paper by name only because paper varies from maker to maker. Once my family’s company had an inquiry about Usumino from a client who told me that it would be used for the restoration of an important collection. I suggested a high-quality Usumino made by a master papermaker in Mino (in Gifu prefecture). The paper is made from top-grade Nasu kozo and cooked with soda ash. The client responded with surprise, “Oh, your price is so high! It’s almost three times as much as the one we used to get from another source.” I asked him to send me a sample of the less expensive Usumino. It was made from saa fiber (Thai kozo) mixed with abaca and cooked with caustic soda, chemically bleached, and dyed. It looked like a well-made paper: both the appearance and texture were so much like top-grade Usumino. While I feel this paper has its place, it should not be marketed as pre-IR Usumino. Over time, oil spots may appear from the saa fiber and the chemicals may degrade not only the paper but the “conserved” object as well. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common in the Japanese paper industry.
In the past few decades, other Asian countries have been making inroads into the domestic and international marketplace for paper. Needless to say, Japan is not a developing country. It is impossible for Japanese papermakers to compete in all markets in terms of price. It seems that now is the time for Japanese papermakers to pull out of the low-end market, and turn back to Seki Masao (left), a senior papermaker in Kochi, is adjusting his post of kozo paper with the help of the author. March 2006.
Tamura Hiroshi is a young papermaker and a Budhhist monk living in his parents’ temple home. He came to papermaking while researching cellulose in graduate school where he specialized in biology. August 2006. pre-IR production methods that make washi so special. It may b the only way to survive in the market and to keep our real tradition alive. Pessimists would say that the production of pre-IR washi is on the decline, and they would blame it on the market. However, I believe that the Japanese paper market can grow through two factors: quality control and user education. Generally speaking, with a few exceptions, Japanese papermakers are honest and good at quality control. By continuing their work with pride, openness, and fair business practices, they can secure the future of Japanese paper production.
Many people are apprehensive about the aging problem of the papermaking industry and the lack of young successors. In actuality, there is good news as well as bad. The good news is that there are many young people entering the field. Traditionally, papermakers have been descendant papermakers. Today, many young papermakers are not from papermaking families but have chosen the profession over hundreds of others available to them. Some have come from previous occupations as printmakers, graphic designers, interior designers, baseball players, actors, biotechnologists, fishery scientists, and engineers. Many are well-educated, having received university degrees, and in some cases master’s degrees. This can also be said of today’s descendent papermakers. Young papermakers have all chosen papermaking as their career path because they are fascinated by the tradition and quality of pre-IR washi. Their enthusiasm for papermaking is strong. They are wonderful papermakers, both in mind and technique. You will see their spirit in their paper. The bad news is that young papermakers are deeply concerned about the supply of domestic materials and papermaking tools. We must find solutions to aging supplies of materials, tools, and other components integral to pre-IR washi production. Also, if senior papermakers take seriously the future of Japanese papermaking, they must share opportunities with young papermakers.
Some senior papermakers see the younger generation as their competitors. Some hesitate to hand down knowledge and some monopolize paper orders. There are young papermakers who harbor bad thoughts about the older generation because the senior papermakers have both fame and steady orders even though they live on a pension and do not need the extra income.
Both standpoints are reasonable, but what the market needs is a solid continuous supply of high-quality paper and skilled craftsmen to sustain the future of the industry. On the consumer side, limited access to information has led to a sluggish demand of pre-IR washi. To reverse this situation, consumer education should be the highest priority for the Japanese paper industry. One can say that washi is like wine. People choose different wine for different occasions. There are varieties of inexpensive wines for an everyday meal, but for a special dinner, people enjoy drinking a refined, more expensive wine. Post-IR washi is suitable for hobbies, crafts, and everyday uses and pre-IR washi is for more luxurious or serious endeavors. The taste of wine varies according to the vineyard, type of grapes, whether they are organic or not, the year of the crop, and so on. In the end, the price reflects these factors. Paper is the same. Its qualities and nuances depend on the soil, the weather, the types of fiber, year of the crop, minerals in the water, the cooking agent, and the papermaker’s skill. Pre-IR washi is environmentally friendly in terms of its processing, beautiful to look at, pleasant to work with, and lasts for centuries. How can people resist it?
In the end, demand drives the industry. With their encouragement and patronage, well-informed consumers can helpkeep the pre-IR washi industry alive. Then both the future of the maker and that of the user will be very bright. Hayashi Shinji, a graduate of the papermaking training program in Kurodani, now teaches papermaking to graduate students at the Kyoto
Traditional Crafts School. March 2006.
Wada Tokiwa, a graduate of the papermaking training program at the Tosa Washi Craft Village in Kochi prefecture, is drying paper on wood boards. She studied printmaking during university and continues to makes prints. August 2006 .
