Ström (strom_photo@usa.net)
Sat, 29 May 1999 15:17:03 -0400 (EDT)
Japanese handmade paper, washi, is made from the inner bark of the kozo,
gampi, and mitsumata bushes. It is another outgrowth of Buddhism, and one of
the first references to it is in the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720 and one of
Japan's two earliest histories. It mentions that Buddhist sutras were
presented by a priest, Doncho, who was also a paper maker.
The materials used for Washi at the present time are Gampi, Kozo, Kajinoki and
Mitsumata. Both Kozo and Kajinoki are defoliated shrubs of the mulberry family
which once grew wild in mountainous districts. Nowadays they are all
cultivated. The material wood is cut down from autumn to early winter and
after being steamed, the bark is removed. This bark is boiled in a wooden ash
solution, then bleached in river water until it becomes pure white. The
fibers are pounded into small pieces with a stick or mallet. One
characteristic of Washi differentiating it from paper produced in China is
that "neri" is combined. "Neri" is a kind of paste obtained from the root of
"tororo-aoi" (hibiscus manihot), a plant resembling "aoi" (hollyhock). The
viscosity of this "neri" enables paper to be made in any thickness desired.
The method of making paper called "nagashisuki" was developed in Japan. The
mold containing the material solution is agitated forward and backward, and
from up to down. Through this operation the fibers intertwine and the paper's
layers are formed.
Women's and men's garments (some were pressed with gold and silver foil and
became very high class) were also made from washi during the Edo period
(1603-1867).
Here is an old posting about rice paper (which probably was really a reference
to mulberry paper or washi). Edible rice paper is not made from rice. It is
made from the pith of an Asian plant called the rice-paper plant or rice-paper
tree (Tetrapanax papyriferum). Rice flour is sometimes added to it. It is
used to wrap food and to line cookie baking sheets. Japanese "rain paper" is
sometimes called, erroneously, rice paper.
~(:=*> Ström
Re: Liquid Light and Rice Paper
Luis Nadeau ( richsul@roadrunner.com)
Wed, 15 January 1997 12:27 PM
Brian wrote:
..
>Japanese paper, on the other hand, differs from Western papers not
>only in materials, but in the sheet forming process as well. I think
>that you would be surprised by the wet-strength of Japanese papers.
>High quality Japanese papers generally have longer fibers than
>Western papers. Also, the sheet forming process tends to create more
>interlocking of the fibers in a less uni-directional pattern. Both
>of these qualities lend great strength to these papers. Don't be
>fooled by their apparent fragility. Of course, you'll still have to
>be careful.
It should be noted that around the turn of the century, Helios, of New
York, and Geveart, in Belgium, supplied platinum coated Japanese tissues.
Luis Nadeau
nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canadaca
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
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