Paper drying racks
Fetor of mulberry bark
Stark Winter pleasure.

About one thousand years ago, the paper workshop of the Japanese imperial court made gold- and color-embellished papers the likes of which have never been surpassed anywhere or at any time in the world. Politics and tastes changed, and this skill was lost, though examples of these decorated papers themselves have been preserved (the glorious Heike nokyo sutras, for example). The forces of history and economics over the years nourished papermaking, and by the end of the 17th century, Japan had become a country where paper had become an integral part of daily life. In contrast to the precious material of previous ages, made by imperial paper mills for the court and aristocracy, paper had become a peasant craft, made by farmers or entire villages throughout the country as a part-time, winter activity. By 1850, there were thousands of types of paper made in Japan. In 1914, in the Echizen area alone, there were an estimated 50,000 papermaking households. In 2001, there were 400 nationwide.

Tosa Paper:
Because Japanese handmade papers (best referred to by the generic "washi") are made of tough and durable bast fibers, such as paper mulberry, they can be employed for a far wider range of uses than rag or wood pulp paper. Japan (along with China and Korea), developed a wonderful and sophisticated paper culture. Washi, of course, is one of the four materials--wood, earth, paper, reeds--of a traditional Japanese house. Such a residence not only has light-refracting and heat-retaining shoji screens, but room partitions and storage closet doors are wood-framed paper structures. Such complex structures fully utilize washi's ability to protect and insulate as well as to breathe. Paper is also the main substance in hanging and folding screen mountings, in fans of all kinds, and in lanterns and lamps. Used as warm lining for silk garments, washi's durability is amply illustrated by the many such linings that have long outlived the textiles they once backed. Sheets of coated washi were also sewn into clothing as well as spun into yarn. Such tough paper yarn (shifu) was woven into cotton work clothes as weft, and (known as koyori), was also plaited into numerous decorative objects and containers such as pipe and tobacco cases, boxes, and the like. It has become legend that Rembrandt treasured the washi that found its way to Europe in his lifetime; without the absorbency and beauty of washi, the arts of calligraphy, painting, book printing, and woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) would never have developed.

Mulberry Bark:
Papermaking in Japan was a winter activity. It was slack-season work for farmers, and this allowed it to be made wherever there was a good and abundant supply of soft, running water and where the bast fiber plants could grow--a perfect industry for a mountainous country with heavy rainfall and short, swift rivers.

Making washi is a highly labor-intensive craft. It involves a mix of drudgery and developed skills. The techniques are largely straightforward and uncomplicated. Yet, one person cannot perform every aspect of making paper--it is a true community craft. And, cold is necessary in every phase of the work.

By far the most widely used bast fiber plant for washi is the paper mulberry (kozo); this and the mitsumata and gampi plants account for almost all traditional Japanese paper. Hemp, bamboo, and various other fibers account for but a tiny percent of the washi made, mainly for special purposes, such as calligraphy practice.