In the 1950s, the Japanese government reported about 600 families making paperby hand in Japan; the figure is now down to 317. Generally the craft is still in thehands of papermakers over the age of fifty. Younger generations are not taking up thehard work for minimal pay when they can make more money as a “salaryman” in abank or industry. Slowly, the venerated National Treasure papermakers are dying off.Ironically, some of the “new blood” attracted to papermaking are college graduates,often with fine arts backgrounds. In an era when the paper industry is driven by themanufacture of computer printer and copier paper, and people’s leisure time hasshifted more to electronic pursuits than to handcraft hobbies, markets for plain anddecorative handmade papers are drying up. Those papermakers who are succeedingmust look for new markets and invent new products. More and more, the papercooperatives have a vital role in marketing for the individual papermaker.Shikoku IslandShikoku Island is the area that produces much more handmade and machine-madepaper than any other area in Japan. Here kozo, mitsumata, and gampi fibers have beencultivated and shipped all over Japan. Kochi prefecture, formerly called Tosa, hasbeen a papermaking site for more than a thousand years. The paper called hosho-gamiwas dedicated to the emperors and used for recording court rites and official eventsduring the tenth century. With the support of the daimyos (feudal lords) during theEdo period (1603–1867), hosho-gami developed into one of the main products of Tosa.Genta Yoshii (1826–1908) invented tengucho-shi, claiming it to be the thinnest paper inthe world, and contributed to the improvement of tools for papermaking.The Kochi paper cooperative, Kochi Ken Tesuki Washi Kyodo Kumiai, is one of thelargest and most active in Japan. One of four regional paper industry laboratories, theKochi Prefectural Paper Technology Center, founded in 1941 and well equipped andstaffed, is nearby to assist in developing new products. The cooperative opened abeautiful paper museum in the town of Ino in 1985, well worth a visit for its excellentdisplay of papermaking equipment and processes and an interesting collection of historicpapers and paper objects, as well as a large shop selling papers and decorativepaper items. In 1995, the cooperative opened a modern ryokan Washi, where westayed and had an excellent dinner of many local fishes and delicacies.More than 300 people still make paper in Kochi, including many younger generationpapermakers who have been trained to succeed their elders in the tradition ofTosa washi, designated in 1976 as a traditional Japanese craft. At that time, tenguchoshiand Tosa seicho-shi were designated as National Cultural Assets. In 2001, SajioHamada, who produces tengucho-shi, was given the honor of being one of threepapermaking Living National Treasures. We were fortunate to visit all three of thesemaster papermakers.Sajio and Setsuko Hamada’s papermaking operation at their home across the roadfrom the river looks much the same as it did twenty years ago. New is their hip-looking,earring-wearing, twenty-something grandson, Hironaga, who has been doing thesheet forming for about seven years. The distinctive aspects of tengucho-forming arethe lighter weight sugeta that allows very active shaking, and the use of more neri, inthis case tororo aoi (Hibiscus manihot L.), which keeps fibers in the thin slurry fromclumping. On this trip, we did not see fiber processing, but in 1985, Mrs. Hamada didmuch of the fiber preparation. Extensive washing of the fiber is done for this paper.The raw kozo is soaked in a concrete-lined pond for two days before stamping for twohours. Normally, fiber would be made into slurry following any beating process, butfor handmade tengucho, the fiber is further washed in running water in a basket linedwith a horsehair screen with a whisk-like stirrer toremove most of the hemicellulose, a step unique tothis paper, which makes it very flexible.Traditionally, tengucho was used to wrap the delicatesurface of lacquer ware, but since most “lacquer”is now synthetically coated, there is little need for thespecial paper. For a while, it was used to wrap electronicsbefore plastic vacuum-packing became thenorm. Now it is mainly used for novelty paper items.As a consequence, Hamada makes it only every threeyears. Over the past twenty years, his main source ofincome has been from the manufacture of chemicallybleached and chemically dyed paper developed forchiyogami, a tear and collage hobby popular right now.The Kashiki Paper Mill in Ino, owned by ShigenobuHamada, has managed to modify a small fourdriniermachine to run a fraction of the typical speed, replacingthe wire covering upon which the paper is formedwith felt in order to make very thin papers similar totengucho and gampi silk tissue. Another recent modificationis the replacement of those parts of the machinethat hold fibers with ones of stainless steel to avoiddamaging iron contamination.One special aspect of preparation of the kozo fiberfor the machine is to age the bark for a year before use.The fibers are then cut to make denser, though thin,paper. A trip-hammer stamper is used for two hourson fairly dry fiber, followed by a short period in thenaginata to separate and fibrillate the fibers. Springwater from under the river, reputed to be cleaner thandrinking water, is used. The slurry delivered to thepapermaking machine by a kind of water wheel is soSajio Hamada with dyed paper.4 HAND PAPERMAKINGMade with locally grown, pure kozo, this incrediblystrong paper dates back to 905 CE and is distinctive forits greenish cast, rattle, and gloss due to the retentionof some of the green middle bark during picking.Before 1300, it was known as iwami washi, named forthe area, and in the Edo period (1590–1867), its namechanged to sekishu. In 1984, the senior Kubota told thestory that this paper was used for official records, andduring times of fire, the record books would bethrown into the nearest well, then rescued and driedfor continued use after the danger was over. Anotherold use for sekishu momigami is to clean sword bladesand, now, jewelry. In the last forty years, the numberof families making sekishu has diminished from sixtyto ten.In 1986, two years after my last visit, Kubota startedteaching trainees from the Kingdom of Bhutan theentire process. Now, there are two papermakers inBhutan making paper in the Japanese nagashizukimethod. Also new here, as with many other handpapermakers, is that a business once almost solelybased on the manufacture of fine plain papers is nowmaking many dyed and novelty papers. They aremaking a mitsumata sheet incorporating mica as wellas kozo, mitsumata, and gampi papers dyed with suo(Caelsapinia sappan) and indigo (Polygonum tinctorium),mordanted with buckwheat husk ash and other woodashes, each producing a different tone.Izumo Folkcraft Paper Cooperative is located in thesmall town of Yagumo on the coast of Tottori prefecturenear Izumo shrine. The production of mingei-shi(folk art paper) was started by Living Nationalthin that it looks like water. Unfortunately, during thisvisit, no photographs were allowed in the mill exceptin the showroom. At the Kashiki Mill, they are experimentingwith making garments of shifu, made withboth warp and weft of kozo fiber, as a new product.The machine-made tengucho rolls produced by twomills in Kochi have become a mainstay in paper andbook conservation. The paper is much stronger thanhandmade tengucho with virtually no grain direction.Hiromi says the mills are having a hard time economically,however, a distressing prospect for this unique,incredibly thin, strong, and useful paper.Honshu IslandIn the town of Misumi in western Shimane prefecture,Yasuichi Kubota and his son Akira, as part of theSekishu Hanshi Technical Assembly, produce sekishu,named an Important Intangible Cultural Property.The senior Kubota, now in his mid-eighties, is stillhealthy enough to form sheets, “tossing the wave” forwhich he is known. The Kubota shop employs severalpeople and makes two types of sekishu-hanshi: mare, abetter-quality paper from fiber cooked in wood ash,hand beaten, and board dried; and tsuru, a cheaperpaper made from fiber beaten in the Hollander anddried on heated metal surfaces. The Kubotas’ sekishumare is one of the few papers still being made thatemploys hand beating. In making sekishu, the sugeta isonly shaken vertically, hence the sheets have a stronggrain direction parallel to the chain lines. Kubota usesa coarser su made of kaya grass, which makes thepaper softer. Treasure Eishiro Abe (d.1986), who, along with otherartists and craftsmen in the 1930s, was instrumental instarting the movement to preserve traditionalJapanese folk crafts. Production of the mingei-shipapers is still carried on by his grandsons, Shinichiroand Norimasa, and granddaughter, Yuko Kurokawa.Kozo and mitsumata from Kochi and gampi grownlocally are used to make decorative papers. Themajority are dyed using both natural dyes, such astangara (Bruguiera conjugatat Merr.), and chemicaldyes. Working the year round, eight people areemployed at the Abe cooperative, making 220 finishedsheets per day.In 1983, Eishiro Abe opened a museum exhibitingboth traditional folk papers and Abe’s papers, and onthe second floor, there are displays of ceramics, paintings,and calligraphy by artists of the group, thus fosteringpreservation of folk traditions. A video madetwenty years ago by Eishiro Abe shows the entireprocess of his papermaking. As his father, EishiroAbe, had done in 1984, Akira Abe invited us into thefamily home filled with many wonderful, antique folkarts and works by various artists. A very interesting,and possibly unique, public outreach development atthe Abe studio, not seen at other papermakers’, is aseparate facility where school groups and the publiccan experience the making of paper.North of Kobe, the area around Najio in Hyogo prefectureis rich in clays and has long been known formaking maniaishi, a 20%–30% clay-loaded gampi paperused as the covering for folding screens or slidingdoors to be gold- or silver-leafed. In 2002, TakenobuTanino was named as one of three Living NationalTreasure papermakers for his maniaishi made withfive naturally colored clays: gray, blue, white, ochre,and red. Very little has changed at this papermaker’smill, and his market seems to be stable. There are fourother houses in the area making maniaishi and anotherpaper, kin-hakuuchi, used when beating gold.The technique for making maniaishi is unique,blending western tamezuki and Japanese nagashizukimethods. The mold has a removable, rigid deckle. Thesu is made of reed with a second finer bamboo susewn on top, and a linen sha dyed with persimmonsewn over that; these layers provide support for theheavy slurry and produce a paper without chain orlaid lines. The size of the sheet is determined by thenumber of sheets, either four or six, needed to cover astandard fusuma sliding door. During sheet forming,the papermaker sits in front of the vat. There are minimaldips into the vat, from one to four times, and verylittle shake, generally side to side. The su is removedand allowed to drain while another sheet is formedbefore couching onto a post. After pressing for twenty-four hours, the paper is brushed onto smoothgrainedginko boards and then rubbed through acloth using a leather-covered burnisher. Tanino toldus that at his most productive, he may make 2000sheets in a month.About 400 years ago, native Najio resident YaemaiHigashiyama brought papermaking he had learned inEchizen to Najio. During the Edo period, maniaishiwas made from recycled mitsumata book pages andused to make woodblock-printed money. The clay2004 Abe papermaking operation.2004 Steamer in the Abe facility for educationalpapermaking.6 HAND PAPERMAKINGcontent is reputed to make the paper repellant to insects and resistant to both humidityand dryness, as well as possessing good aging properties. These papers have beenused by famous painters such as Koetsu and Korin, to cover fusuma in Nijo Castle inKyoto, and to restore other National Treasure painted screens. At the time of our tour,Tanino was making paper for use at Todaiji Temple in Nara. Unfortunately, no one isbeing trained in Tanino’s papermaking.About one hour north of Kyoto is the quaint mountain village of Kurodani, frequentlyvisited by foreigners. Legend says it was settled 800 years ago by a clan ofdefeated samurai who were forced to make paper for their conquerors. The locationprovides good cultivation for kozo and clear mountain water. The Kurodani WashiPromotion Society, started about 100 years ago, is the oldest cooperative in Japan.The papermakers share a common facility for fiber processing and marketing ofpaper but form sheets at home. New were washing troughs in the common building,taking the place of washing fiber in the channeled river running through the village;a large Hollander beater; and stainless steel vats for forming dyed papers. Of thecooperative’s total production of both plain, dyed, and decorative papers, 90% ismade of pure kozo. This is one of the few papermaking operations still cooking fiberin wood ash for their better plain papers. Paper for kimono wrappers is made of sulfitewood pulp and manila hemp, and paper for novelty items also may includesome pulp. The small museum above the shop near the main road is much the sameas in 1984. Proudly displayed in the museum was a large Jasper Johns print made onKurodani paper.In 1984, there were thirty families making paper in both the main village in OkaKurodani and a smaller settlement further down the one road leading to the mountains.In 2004, there are only seven families making paper, and the traditionalthatched-roof houses of Oka Kurodani no longer exist. As most of Kurodani’syounger generations leave home to make their fortunes, the cooperative has taken theinitiative to invite young people to come for two years and learn to make paper; thosewho succeed are asked to stay. For this training, a new sheet-forming building wasconstructed behind the fiber-preparation facility. We met two of seven college graduatescurrently interning at the cooperative, and they were very enthusiastic aboutpapermaking and receptive to meeting interested foreigners. On the north coast of Fukui prefecture in theEchizen valley is the town of Imadate, where morethan 100 families or operations (800 people in all)engage in making paper. The name of Echizen isfound in 1500-year-old documents in the ShosoinImperial Repository in Nara. Some historians suggestthat this is the area of Japan where papermaking fromKorea was first introduced. In the Edo period underthe Tokugawa Shogunate, papermaking was encouragedand protected, and Echizen became a papermakingcenter without parallel in the country.Papermaking machinery was introduced here duringthe Meiji era (1868–1912), and the variety and qualityof machine-made paper increased after World War II.Our tour visited three very different papermakers:Ichibei Iwano, Living National Treasure for hosho;Heizaburo Iwano, an Important Intangible CulturalProperty for Fukui prefecture, whose large operationmakes kozo sheets from 3 x 6 feet to 7 x 9 feet; andUmeda Washi, who makes unusual decorative papers.Twenty years ago, I visited both of the Iwanos, butmeeting Umeda was a new experience. The EchizenWashi cooperative functions as a distributor for prefecturalpapermakers and is very powerful withregard to business; it buys materials wholesale andmakes loans to the papermakers.Ichibei Iwano has built a new, larger studio andacquired some modern machinery, though he stilluses a hand mallet for beating nasu kozo, grown northof Tokyo, along with a stamper and naginata.Compared to twenty years ago, his offerings comprisea wider range of custom papers: some are larger insize than traditional hosho, sometimes he uses a sha tominimize chain and laid lines, and sometimes hemixes tororo and nori utsugi (Hydrangea paniculta Sieb.)for neri because the latter makes a softer, moreabsorbent printing paper. In 1984, Mrs. Iwano seemedto do most of the sheet forming. Iwano’s son, Juniichi,is involved in the business and was observed duringthis trip helping with chiritori.Heizaburo Iwano’s operation looks much the sameas it did twenty years ago; even some of the thirty ormore workers looked familiar. There are half-a-dozen,two-person teams making 3 x 6 foot sheets, and oneor two vats for 7 x 9 foot sheets with six-person teamsto handle the molds suspended from the ceiling bychains and cables. It is quite extraordinary to see theperfect coordination of these teams while sheet formingand couching such large sheets, as well as theteams who put the sheets onto drying boards placedin steam-heated cabinets. The one variant in theprocess is that the sheets are couched onto wet fabricinterleaved in the post; this aids in separating thehuge sheets without damage while transferring themto drying boards.Futoshi Umeda employs perhaps eight to ten peopleengaged in making patterned decorative and fineart papers. These are produced in multiple couchingsof variously colored kozo or gampi pulps. The pulp ispicked up on a su with a stencil sewn onto it to createshapes or picked up on scrolled rigid copper forms tocreate thin linear designs, and then laid onto a freshlyformed, plain base sheet. This process, too, requiredprecise coordination between two or three papermak-Team of papermakers forming a 3 x 6 foot sheet at Heizaburo Iwano’s papermaking operation.8 HAND PAPERMAKINGers to produce consistently finished composite sheets.Another unusual color paper was made using a sumarked in a grid pattern. Dried on heated metal surfaces,the sheets are torn into small squares or rectanglesby the user for decoration on paper to coverfusuma or for the chiyogami collage craft. Umeda’s sonis also involved in the business.A visit to Echizen would not be complete without apilgrimage to the special Imadate papermakers’shrine, Okamoto-jinja, seen in a 1935 photograph inDard Hunter’s book. Here worshippers make offeringsto the goddess who came to earth as a princess inorder to teach the people of this agriculturally poorarea how to make paper. We also had the fun of tryingmarbling at the studio of Tadao Fukuda, named anImportant Intangible Cultural Property for suminagashi.The area of Mino in Gifu prefecture northeast ofKyoto, where there are many clear mountain rivers,has been recorded as a papermaking area since 701 CEwhen a census of that year was written on wellformedMino paper. Between 1150 and 1600, the Minoarea became renowned for its papermaking, developingspecial papers such as hon-mino-gami, or “truemino paper.”Today, mino-gami is not only the name of papermade in Mino but also is used to indicate fine qualitypaper made all over Japan. Especially in the UnitedStates, the term kizuki-shi, which means “pure,” or100% kozo paper, is used interchangeably for usu-minopaper. Mino-gami, in contrast to sekishu with its particularlylong fibers, is made of nasu kozo from Ibarakiprefecture north of Tokyo, has slightly shorter fibersand is a soft textured paper. Mino-gami is a staple oftraditional scroll mounters who buy this paper inlarge quantities.In 1960, the Hon-Mino-Gami Preservation Groupwas formed to preserve the quality of the paper andtechniques of its preparation; five years later, honmino-gami was designated a National IntangibleCultural Property of Importance. In 1984, there werestill seven papermakers in the Mino City area makingthe paper, but in 2004, there are only three left.Fortunately, a young couple, Satoshi and KiyokoHasegawa, has taken up making fine mino-gami.Satoshi, a graduate from a technical college, apprenticedwith Kozo Furuta (d.1997), one of the originalHon-Mino-Gami Preservation Group. Satoshi hasleased from Furuta’s widow his old studio across theroad from the Itadori River. About six years ago, roadconstruction put a stop to washing fiber in the riverfor which Mino was known. From June throughSeptember, no paper is made because the water ispoor, and it adversely affects the tororo. During thesemonths, Kiyoko, a graphic artist, and Satoshi makecalendars illustrated by Kiyoko and kasagamiumbrella paper. Scroll mounters we visited in Kyotomentioned Hasegawa’s paper, so it seems that theirmarket will be stable for the foreseeable future.Many papermakers’ tools are made in Mino.Furuta’s late brother made su for paper molds, includ-ing preparing the bamboo splints using a draw plate. The Mino-style su uses abeveled joint of the bamboo splints for a smoother and stronger screen. His widowcontinues to make bamboo su but buys bamboo prepared by a person in Shizuokaprefecture. A labor-intensive process, it takes a week, about four inches a day, to completea screen. The number of skilled, traditional su makers is dwindling rapidly.In 1994, a three-floor paper museum was built in Mino City with a marvelous systemof drawers to display paper samples and to allow visitors to examine them closely,displays about paper process and history, and exhibits of contemporary paper art.The museum has produced new videos on su- and tool-making, as well as papermaking,which can be purchased in the shop.ConclusionIn an increasingly electronic and technological global village, what does the futurehold for Japanese hand papermaking? As with any other art or craft, more promotionand development are keys to viable markets, and inevitably we must be prepared forprice increases for these exquisite products of a labor-intensive process. Certainlypotential markets in Europe, South America, and parts of Asia are yet to be tapped.Can the individual papermaker do this on his own or will it take a commercial distributor?The latter seems to be the trend exemplified by the papermaking cooperatives.Can the quality of the paper be maintained if the demand is greater? This may be contingenton having a large enough trained workforce. To this end, several operationshave invited young people to learn papermaking. Will the variety of handmade paperscontinue to be made? It is possible that diminishing markets will not support this.Thankfully a number of extraordinary collections of Japanese handmade papers datingfrom the late 1800s through the 1950s have been assembled and published torecord the amazing variety that had been produced all over Japan. We were so fortunateto see the three Living National Treasure papermakers, all men in their seventies.Two of the three have sons or grandsons following in the business. Clearly, there is stilla core of individuals committed to, or willing to commit to, the traditional, hard-workinglife of papermaker and to the uncompromising production of beautiful washi.Satoshi Hasegawa forming minogami. Kiyoto Hasegawa brushing paper onto a drying board.10 HAND PAPERMAKINGAddresses by PrefectureMr. Tsuyochi Ageta, Executive SecretaryKochi Washi Cooperative287–4 Hakawa, Inocho,Agawa-gun, Kochi prefectureShigenobu HamadaKashiki Mill541 KashikiAgawa-gun, Kochi prefecture088–893–3270Sajio Hamada564 Kamitani, Ino-choAgawa-gun, Kochi prefecture088–892–3754Akira KubotaSekishu Washi957–4 Furuichiba, Misumi-cho,Naka-gun, Shimane prefecturehttp//:www.Iwami.or.jp/sekishu/Shin-Ichiro AbeIzumomingeishi Handmade Paper Production1727 Higashi-Iwasaka, YakumoYatsuka, Shimane prefectureTel/Fax 0852–54–0303Takenobu TaninoTanitoku Paper Co.1492 Nashio, Shiose-choNishinomiya, Hyogu prefectureTel/Fax 0797–61–0224Kurodani Washi Promotion SocietyKurodani-choAyabe, Kyoto prefectureHiroshi NaitoFukui Japanese Paper Industrial CooperativeOtaki 11–11Imadate-cho, Fukui prefectureIchibei IwanoOtakiImadate-cho, Fukui prefectureHeizaburo IwanoOtakiImadate-cho, Fukui prefectureUmeda Washi Co.Futoshi UmedaOtakiImadate-cho, Fukui prefectureSatoshi HasegawaWashi Kobo1941–1 WarabiMino City, Gifu prefecturewww.minogami.comMino Washi Paper Museum1851–3 WarabiMino-shi, Gifu prefecture0575–34–8111