Japanese Paper

Centre > Travel diaries > Japan 2000 > Japanese paper

The first books to be mass-produced were religious books, and they not only contributed in developing printing: they also boosted paper production and development. The European version of this story is familiar to us, but this scenario also took place in the East. History (and paper dealers) remembers for instance prince Shotoku who in the early 7th c. endeavoured to spread Buddhism. Paper was necessary to copy the sutras, the Buddhist holy texts, and so Shotoku encouraged that industry to such an extent that he is now enshrined in some papermaking areas as "the founder of paper".

Japanese paper has acquired a glamorous aura in the West. It is considered the most beautiful paper in the world. Doubtlessly this is because the Japanese, far from using paper solely as a writing surface, use it in abundant ways that show off its own qualities and beauty, for example in clothing. Add to this the natural Japanese leaning towards beauty and design, and their grateful attitude towards useful things, and paper becomes both splendid and sacred. I don't believe I would be exaggerating if I said their attitude towards it was one of veneration as much as of enjoyment: after all, I have seen shrines built to honour broken pins and needles or fans used in dance.

As was the case with Europe, paper was introduced in Japan by the Chinese, but this happened much earlier than in the West and took on a specifically local direction as Washi, Japanese paper. Its characteristic is the extreme length of its fibres, 2 to 15 mm (they are less than 2 mm in the West). This makes up very strong paper. Washi started out as a very expensive commodity before more practical varieties were produced. It then quickly became indispensable as a material for daily life goods such as clothing, dining utensils, interior decorations and toys. Below are some of the paper varieties that arose to answer different needs. The original material was hemp; now papermills use gampi (diplomorpha sikokania Nakai), that yields a fin and glossy fibre; kozo, a kind of mulberry characterised by fibres that are strong, sinewy and long; mitsumata, which also yields long, strong fibres.

Danshi: "Sandalwood paper": it is a mulberry paper, thick, elegant and white; a high grade wrapping paper also used for ceremonial rites. Court ladies favoured it to write poems. Another name for it is Michinokugami. Today Danshi is used in ceremonies and is furrowed or creped.

Hosho(shi): A high-grade mulberry paper originally used to write down orders from the Sh?gun; the official seal was then affixed. It is now used for woodblock print. Its standard size is 39.4x53 cm.

Nakaori(gami): Danshi or Hososhi cut lengthwise (30x44.5 cm)

Sugihara(shi): It is a mulberry paper that was used by samurai and priests as a gift on formal occasions. Simple, and thinner than Danshi, it was favoured by the samurai class but also by commoners.

Hanshi: "Half-size sheet", because it was originally half the size of the old Sugiharashi (25x35 cm). It is versatile, as it is durable, thin, light and inexpensive. Nowadays it is used for calligraphy, account books etc. Two wood pulp varieties of Hanshi have made their appearance recently: Mozo ("imitation") and Kairyo ("improved"). Its standard size is 24 to 26 x 32.5 to 35 cm.

Kyokushi: "Office paper". This thick mitsumata paper, smooth, pliant and permitting sharp printed detail was designed in 1874 in an effort to create a unique Japanese-style paper.

Mino(gami): A very old variety of plain mulberry paper. The term now designates mulberry paper used for stationery and books.

Shojigami: Traditional sliding door paper (shaji being the sliding door). This mulberry paper allows light into the room and retains warmth. Its standard size is 63.6x93.9 cm.

Tengjyo: A mulberry paper characterised by its extreme thinness, using very sophisticated papermaking techniques. It was used by artists as tracing paper, block copy for woodblock prints, and backing paper. It is today exported overseas where it is used as a wrapping material for precious stones, jewellery and pieces of fine art.

Torinoko: "Child of the bird". The name was probably given because the yellowish colour of the unbleached paper resembled an egg's. This gampi paper is used for stationery and cards, art printing, sliding panels and semi-official documents.

Yoshino: A thin mulberry paper specialised in lacquer filtration.

Paper is also classified according to the use that is made of it, rather than the process of its making:

Ryoshi: Paper used for writing purposes.

Hansetushi: Calligraphy and drawing paper (Karakami or gasenshi) cut lengthwise in half, to a format of 33.3x143 cm)

Recycled paper has been in use in Japan since as early as the 8th c. It was called Hogogami, or when made from waste paper, Shukushi. Recycled paper was created as an answer to the shortage of pulp stuck, and even used for imperial orders despite the fact it wasn't always thoroughly bleached. Such Shukushi, that was imperfectly de-inked, it was named "water clouded paper" or Usuzumigami ("slightly inked paper"). Other kinds of recycled paper were named after the areas that produced them, as is the case for Asakusagami, Nishinotoinshi and Takatsugami. One variety has a particularly interesting name: Kankoshi or "paper recalling the lost soul". The paper it was made of came from letters whose authors had passed away; it was recycled for daily use.

Paper was such an important product that some varieties such as Okuragami (official storage paper), Goyoushi (official use paper) and Hanshi became clan monopoly items. Those papers that could be freely bought and sold were called Hiragami or Wakigami. With the boom of printed books, the production of cheap multi-use paper such as Minogami and Hanshi increased. Others that also saw a rise of popularity were wrapping and tissue papers; Chiyogami for paper crafts; Shojigami for housing fittings; Karakami for sliding panels, clothing and waterproofed raincoats. Such usage requires specially treated paper, and so do the techniques below.

Kamiko (paper clothing) and Shifu (woven paper clothing) are the two kinds of clothing made from paper. Kamiko is made in the following way: thick sheets of Washi are pasted together with a special starch, which is then brushed all over the pasted sheet. The sheet is then thoroughly crumpled in order to become soft. At this point it can be tailored into clothes or sashes, and even rainwear: persimmon tannin or tung oil are brushed on the Kamiko to make it waterproof. As for Shifu, it requires the Washi to be cut into thin strips, which are then twisted into paper threads (moroshifu) and woven. Kamiko is winter wear, Shifu is worn in summer: both can sustain washing and were used as substitutes for hemp or cotton clothing.

Ikkanbari uses paper to create objects such as boxes and tableware. The original technique was the equivalent of our papier mâché, but today Washi is pasted on bamboo or wooden frames then coated with lacquer or tannin. Close to Ikkanbari, Kami-nagato is craft work made by cutting Washi into thin strips, twisting it into paper threads, and lacing it up before coating it with lacquer. Many portable articles such as tobacco pouches and canteens are made with this light and durable material.

Imitation leather paper such as Yookanshi and Takeya Shibori don't only look like leather: they are actually used for pouches, box lining and harnesses. They started as an improvement on oiled and tannin paper, but additional operations such as wrinkling it and coating it produced higher-grade products.

Some of the most ingenious techniques however were designed to produce ornamental rather than practical paper.

The simplest, next to dying, is probably Chiyogami, which is Washi patterned with coloured woodblock prints.

Suminagashi or "ink floating paper" is similar to the Western method of making marbled paper (itself likely derived from Arabian Abri paper, itself inspired from Chinese Ryusasen). A surface of water is necessary; on it one drops a mixture of ink and resin. When it spreads out in a circle, the centre of it is poked with a brush dipped in a solution with repulsion properties. As a result, the ink disperses and by repeating the operation one obtains several concentric circles. Using a short stick, one then fans the motif to obtain more complex patterns. Finally, Washi is delicately placed on the surface to collect the ink and pattern. The same motif can never be obtained twice.

The technique of jointed paper produces beautiful sheets made of paper of different colours and patterns. It can be done in one of three ways: cut, tear and lap jointing. Cutting is done with a knife, in rectangular shapes, while tearing produces organic curves. In lap jointing, five pieces of paper of similar colour are piled on top of each other according to their shade and cut in a curve. The cut edge is faulted a little and then the papers are pasted.

Any ornamental method that takes place during the papermaking process (before the sheet dries) is called Suki Moyoo. Uchikumo, for instance, consists in dropping free fibres coloured in indigo or violet over the sheet and shaking them: this creates a cloud-like pattern near the edges of the Washi. Tobikumo ("cloud paper") is done the same way, but the coloured fibres are thrown all across the sheet. Water-spot paper features a pattern of light-blue water spots: for this water is dropped on a sheet of pre-dyed paper stock.

Placing thin pieces of gold or silver between two sheets of foil-beating paper and beating them to thin foil with a wooden mallet, then pasting them onto Washi, is a method called Hakuoshi. Also making use of the foil, is Sunagofuri: the foil is placed in a bamboo tube, stirred and powdered, then strewn on Washi. In the Noge method, the foil is cut into narrow strips; in Kirihaku it is cut into squares using a bamboo knife. In all the above, the foil is incrusted in the sheet as it dries.

Although not a part of the papermaking process, it is impossible to discuss Japanese paper without mentioning Origami, the art of "folded paper". It consists in creating shapes from a square of paper, without cutting or pasting. There are entire stores selling these squares of paper: they come in all sizes, from nearly A2 to smaller than a post-it, and in an overwhelming diversity of textures and colours. I found paper so delicate that a mere pull destroyed it, and futuristic metallic sheets; cartoon-printed squares and others streaked with gold. Paper is folded for religious, social and entertainment purposes. Folding cranes (tsuru), for instance, is a favourite activity in hospitals; to fold 1000 cranes for a friend is to wish him 1000 times to live 1000 healthy years. I have seen such garlands of cranes offered at a zoo shrine to the souls of the animals that had passed away. The noshi is another important motif, found attached to all gifts and wishing cards. It looks like a paper cone with a yellow band of paper in it. Its origins are ancient: noshi-awabi is a sea snail and in old times, warriors always took some with them as food for the road. Towards the 12th century it became customary to bring dried noshi to friends as a gift, but soon it was replaced by its folded equivalent with the yellow band. Six hundred years ago this tradition became law by imperial order, and so it is that it has survived till now.

Many origami foldings have a ceremonial purpose and are only know of initiated Shinto priests. This is also the case of Kirigami, Origami's close relative. Kirigami means "cut paper", and from what I've seen, the most widespread kirigami shape is a squared lightning bolt, whose length varies. It is hung in every temple and shrine I have visited, where it defines an area that it protects from evil spirits.