THE HEART OF WASHI The strength of a piece of paper is often equated with its thickness. But in any paper strength comes from the length and quality of the fibre used in its making. In North America, fibre comes largely from trees. But in the manufacturing process to make pulp, the fibre is cut up into short lengths.

In washi, fibre comes from three plants whose inner bark produces naturally longer fibres than trees, and which is laboriously extracted by hand to maintain its length. The three plants are kozo, mitsumata and gampi.

Kozo is the most widely used fibre, and the strongest, from the mulberry bush. It is grown as a farm crop, and regenerates annually, so no forests are depleted in the process.

Mitsumata takes longer to grow and is thus more expensive. It is indigenous to Japan and also grown as a crop.

Gampi has natural sheen, and is often made into very thin tissues used in book conservation and printmaking such as chine collé. Gampi has a natural “sized” finish which does not bleed when written or painted on.

Other fibres such as hemp, abaca, rayon, horsehair, and silver or gold foil are sometime used for paper or mixed in with the other fibres for decorative effect.

HOW IS WASHI MADE? The degree of dedication, patience and physical energy that goes into making washi perhaps accounts for why it is only made in Japan.
The branches of the kozo, gampi or mitsumata bushes are trimmed, soaked, and the bark removed by hand. Then, the tough pliant inner bark is separated, cleaned, pounded and stretched. The addition of the pounded fibre to a liquid solution, combined with tororo-aoi (fermented hibicus root) produces a paste-like substance when it is mixed. The paste is tossed until evenly spread on a bamboo mesh screen (called a su) to form each sheet of paper. The sheets are piled up wet, and later laid out to dry on wood in the sun or indoors on a heated dryer.

FEATURES OF WASHI

Warmth—washi feels soft and creates a feeling of warmth in whoever touches it, enhanced by the beautiful deckle-edge that is the mark of all hand-made Japanese paper.
Body—because of the length of the fibres, washi has remarkable strength. Pure-fibred washi was used for armour lining in earlier times.
Strength—washi is highly workable when wet, so it is excellent for papier maché and etching.
Absorbency—the ready absorption of inks and dyes by the papers results in much denser and more vibrant colours when fabric or watercolour dyes are applied.
Flexibility—since the fibres position themselves at random, there is no real grain to washi. This gives the paper a resistance to creasing, wrinkling and tearing, and means it can be used more like cloth for covering books or boxes.
Lightness—washi weighs much less than other papers of equal thickness, giving books made with it a feeling of delicacy.
Low acidity—traditionally made Japanese papers are truly acid-free if they are unbleached and unsized. Examples of printed papers exist in perfect condition in Japan from 1000 years ago. Today, papers from the village of Kurotani are among the finest archival papers. A wide range of these excellent sheets are always on hand.
Decoration—for centuries, colourful designs applied by woodblock and handcut stencils have created vividly patterned papers called chiyogami. An impressive selection of silkscreened versions of these sheets is available and widely used by craftspeople and artisans. Although made by machine, these sheets are about 70% kozo.

Uses of Washi. . .
• Printing • Graphic Design • Photography • Invitations • Photo Albums • Collage • Lighting • Bookbinding • Calligraphy • Wall Decoration • Origami • Handmade cards • Window shades • Shoji screens • Lampshades • Giftwrapping