Paper Technology Journal 17 - Voith

Buddhist religious ceremonies. It became
the symbol of purity and a spiritual
meaning was attributed to it. Even today
in Japan, paper ornaments and strips are
regarded as the bearers of glad tidings.
They often flutter on shrines and temples.
The art of paper folding (Origami) was
also born at this time.
During the Edo period (1603-1868) farmers
had to pay tribute to their feudal lords
in the form of rice in the summer and paper
in the winter. The aristocrats used
such paper for private correspondence
but also as toilet paper. Paper used by
the farmers for their own purposes was
impregnated with the sap of the Khaki
plant to make waterproof shoes and rain
capes for field work.
Until recently papermaking was
still a secondary occupation for some
Japanese peasant farmers. Of course,
their sheets were not as perfect as those
produced by professional papermakers,
but it was these little flaws in particular
that gave their paper a special charm. It
is uneven and far from smooth, and its fibres
of varying thickness make it a distinct
natural product with an “ecological
touch”.
In the 1980s, the Japanese Naoaki Sakamoto
came up with the idea to revive this
rural tradition of papermaking. In remote
villages he found several farmers who
used to skim off paper by hand. Some
had still kept their original equipment, including
very old screens, in the attic. A
genuine stroke of luck: Sakamoto, in
Tokyo known as “Paper Nao”, was able to
convince such farmers to make “ordinary”
Washi paper for him. On the island
of Shikoku, for example, there lived an
old couple whose families had made Senkashi
paper for many generations. The
Korean Buddhist Senka had brought this
craft to Japan, and it is one of the most
original Japanese papers of all. Although
also produced in other regions of Japan,
its thickness, shape and colour had gradually
changed. Only this one remaining
old couple still knew how genuine Senkashi
paper should look and how to make it.
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Nao finishes the farmers’ Washi with natural
plant dyes applied to the paper with
broad paintbrush strokes. Interior decorators
like to use this Washi grade as a
luxury tapestry or wall decor in the designer
restaurants of Tokyo and Osaka,
where the atmosphere has to accord with
the perfect presentation of the meal. A
large Washi sheet dyed by hand can easily
cost 150 Euro.
However, this high price is not a deterrent
to many Japanese customers, because
in the past 10 years Japan has
become more conscious of its origins.
The reason: while catching up with and
even outperforming Western industrial
economies, Japan tended to neglect its
own roots. The recession that followed
the stock exchange crash in 1991 trig- Tokyo
gered off a resurgence of old traditions
and values. Japanese handicraft has now
become one of these much sought-after Sakamoto,
values, a trend that has helped Japanese
Washi to experience a new, if modest Naoaki
boom.
Martin Fritz Photos:
17/04
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