View source for Washi

{{Short description|Japanese paper traditionally made from mulberry tree bark}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Expand Japanese|和紙|date=August 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2013}}
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[[File:Washi(Sugihara paper).JPG|thumb|''Sugiharagami'' (杉原紙), a kind of ''washi'']]
[[File:Masking-tape.png|thumb|Washi-tape]]
{{nihongo|'''''Washi'''''|和紙}} is traditional Japanese [[paper]] processed by hand using fibers from the inner bark of the [[gampi]] tree, the [[Edgeworthia chrysantha|mitsumata]] shrub (''Edgeworthia chrysantha''), or the [[paper mulberry]] (''kōzo'') bush.<ref name=hughes78>{{cite book|last=Hughes|first=Sukey|title=Washi: the world of Japanese paper|year=1978|publisher=Kodansha International|location=Tokyo|isbn=0-87011-318-6}}</ref>
''Washi'' is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from [[wood pulp]], and is used in many traditional arts. [[Origami]], [[shodō]], and [[ukiyo-e]] were all produced using ''washi''. ''Washi'' was also used to make various everyday goods like clothes, household goods, and toys, as well as vestments and ritual objects for [[Shinto]] priests and statues of [[Buddharupa|Buddha]]. It was even used to make [[wreath]]s that were given to winners in the [[1998 Winter Paralympics]]. ''Washi'' is also used to repair historically valuable cultural properties, paintings, and books at museums and libraries around the world, such as the [[Louvre]] and the [[Vatican Museums]], because of its thinness, pliability, durability over 1000 years due to its low impurities, and high workability to remove it cleanly with moisture.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ifla.org/paper-conservation-by-using-japanese-paper-washi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209044238/https://www.ifla.org/paper-conservation-by-using-japanese-paper-washi/ |title=Paper conservation by using Japanese paper, washi |publisher=[[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]] |archive-date=9 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/8/30/the-elegant-and-refined-world-of-washi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406142315/https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/8/30/the-elegant-and-refined-world-of-washi |title=The elegant and refined world of washi |date=30 August 2015 |publisher=Toki |archive-date=6 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ana-cooljapan.com/destinations/gifu/washipaperinmino |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405001246/https://www.ana-cooljapan.com/destinations/gifu/washipaperinmino |title=Washi paper in Mino |publisher=ANA |archive-date=5 April 2022}}</ref>
As a [[Japanese craft]], it is registered as a UNESCO [[intangible cultural heritage]].<ref name=jt>{{cite news |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/27/national/japanese-handmade-washi-paper-added-unesco-intangible-heritage-list/ |title=Government, paper makers welcome addition of 'washi' to UNESCO list |date=27 November 2014 |access-date=27 November 2014 |archive-date=13 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113044405/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/27/national/japanese-handmade-washi-paper-added-unesco-intangible-heritage-list/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== History ==
[[file:IseWashidrop.jpg|thumb|Washi-making at [[Ise, Mie]]]]
By the 7th century, paper had been introduced to Japan from China via the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese developed washi by improving the method of making paper in the [[Heian period]]. The paper making technique developed in Japan around 805 to 809 was called {{nihongo|''nagashi-suki''|流し漉き}}, a method of adding [[mucilage]] to the process of the conventional {{nihongo|''tame-suki''|溜め漉き}} technique to form a stronger layer of paper fibers.<ref name="kyushu1">{{cite web|url=https://guides.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/origami/prologue|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507223620/https://guides.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/origami/prologue|script-title=ja:折り紙の歴史と現在: 前史|language=ja|publisher=[[Kyushu University]] Library|archive-date=7 May 2021|access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="nippon1">{{cite web|url=https://www.origami-noa.jp/%E3%81%8A%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/%E3%81%8A%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%B4%E5%8F%B2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114074031/https://www.origami-noa.jp/%E3%81%8A%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/%E3%81%8A%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%B4%E5%8F%B2/|script-title=ja:おりがみの歴史 (History of origami)|language=ja|publisher=Nippon Origami Association|date=|archive-date=14 November 2022|access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="nikkan">{{cite web|url=https://pub.nikkan.co.jp/uploads/book/pdf_file5c91891586da8.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125225800/https://pub.nikkan.co.jp/uploads/book/pdf_file5c91891586da8.pdf|script-title=ja:第1章 折り紙の姿|language=ja|publisher=[[Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun]]|archive-date=25 November 2022|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%B5%81%E3%81%97%E6%BC%89%E3%81%8D-587757|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125225744/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%B5%81%E3%81%97%E6%BC%89%E3%81%8D-587757|script-title=ja:流し漉き|language=ja|publisher=Kotobank./Digitalio, Inc./[[The Asahi Shimbun]]|archive-date=25 November 2022|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref> The improved washi came to be used to decorate religious ceremonies such as ''[[gohei]]'', ''ōnusa'' ([[:ja:大麻 (神道)]]), and ''[[Shide (Shinto)|shide]]'' at [[Shinto shrines]],<ref name="kyushu1"/> and in the Heian period, washi covered with gold and silver leaf beautifully decorated books such as ''[[Kokin Wakashu]]''.<ref name="nikkan"/>
In the [[Muromachi period]], washi came to be used as [[Origami#Ceremonial origami (origata)|ceremonial origami]] for [[samurai]] class at weddings and when giving gifts,<ref name="kyushu1"/> and from the [[Sengoku period]] to the [[Edo period]], [[Origami#Recreational origami|recreational origami]] such as [[orizuru]] developed.<ref name ="kyushu2">{{cite web|url=https://guides.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/origami/-mid18C|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507224948/https://guides.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/origami/-mid18C|script-title=ja:折り紙の歴史と現在: 戦国～江戸中期|language=ja|publisher=Kyushu University Library|archive-date=7 May 2021|access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref> During the Edo period, many books and [[ukiyo-e]] prints for the masses made of washi were published using [[Woodblock printing in Japan|woodblock printing]].<ref name="edobooks">{{cite web|url=https://www.kodomo.go.jp/gallery/edoehon/era/index_e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019205019/https://www.kodomo.go.jp/gallery/edoehon/era/index_e.html|title=Edo Picture Books and the Edo Period.|publisher=National Diet Library.|archive-date=19 October 2020|access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>
== Manufacture ==
[[file:Cranes made by Origami paper.jpg|thumb|[[Origami]] [[Crane (bird)|cranes]] made of ''washi'']]
''Washi'' is produced in a way similar to that of ordinary paper, but relies heavily on manual methods. It involves a long and intricate process that is often undertaken in the cold weather of winter, as pure, cold running water is essential to the production of washi. Cold inhibits [[bacteria]], preventing the decomposition of the [[fibre]]s. Cold also makes the fibres contract, producing a crisp feel to the paper. It is traditionally the winter work of farmers, a task that supplemented a farmer's income.
[[Paper mulberry]] is the most commonly used fiber in making Japanese paper.  The mulberry branches are boiled and stripped of their outer bark, and then dried. The fibers are then boiled with [[lye]] to remove the [[starch]], [[fat]] and [[tannin]], and then placed in running water to remove the spent lye. The fibers are then [[bleach]]ed (either with chemicals or naturally, by placing it in a protected area of a stream) and any remaining impurities in the fibers are picked out by hand. The product is laid on a rock or board and beaten.
Wet balls of pulp are mixed in a vat with water and a formation aid to help keep the long fibers spread evenly. This is traditionally ''neri'', which is a [[mucilaginous]] material made from the roots of the [[Abelmoschus manihot|tororo aoi plant]], or PEO, [[polyethylene oxide]]. One of two traditional methods of paper making (nagashi-zuki or tame-zuki) is employed. In both methods, pulp is scooped onto a screen and shaken to spread the fibers evenly. Nagashi-zuki (which uses neri in the vat) produces a thinner paper, while tame-zuki (which does not use neri) produces a thicker paper.
== Types ==
{{see also|List of washi}}
With enough processing, almost any grass or tree can be made into a washi. Gampi, mitsumata, and paper mulberry are three popular sources.<ref name=hughes78/>
* {{nihongo|Ganpishi|雁皮紙}}: In ancient times, it was called {{nihongo|''Hishi''|斐紙}}. Ganpishi has a smooth, shiny surface and is used for books and crafts.
* {{nihongo|[[Kōzogami]]|楮紙}}: Kōzogami is made from paper mulberry and is the most widely made type of washi. It has a toughness closer to cloth than to ordinary paper and does not weaken significantly when treated to be water-resistant.
* {{nihongo|Mitsumatagami|三椏紙}}: Made from ''[[Edgeworthia chrysantha|mitsumata]]'', mitsumatagami has an ivory-colored, fine surface and is used for [[Japanese calligraphy|shodō]] as well as printing. It has been used to print paper money since the [[Meiji period]] and continues to be used today.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogura |first=Jessie Yeung, Hanako Montgomery, Junko |date=2024-07-03 |title=How Japan's newest yen note came from the Nepali mountains {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/02/business/japan-yen-note-nepal-paperbush-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
== Applications ==
Until the early 20th century, the Japanese used ''washi'' in applications where Western style paper or other materials are currently used. This is partly because washi was the only type of paper available at that time in Japan, but also because the unique characteristics of washi made it a better material.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
''Washi'' is also used in [[watch]] dials.<ref>{{cite web |title=Review: Enter the dragon: The Citizen AQ 4020-54Y. Best quartz watch in the world? |url=https://deployant.com/review-enter-the-dragon-the-citizen-aq-4020-54y-best-quartz-watch-in-the-world/ |website=Deployant |date=10 May 2018 |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Genkō yōshi]]
* [[Japanese tissue]]
* [[Rice paper]]
* [[Sir Harry Parkes]]
* [[Tissue paper]]
* [[Ukiyo-e]]
* [[List of Traditional Crafts of Japan]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Fukushima|first=Kurio|title=Handbook on the Art of Washi|year=1991|publisher=All Japan Handmade Washi Association}}
== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{jaanus|w/washi|Washi}}
* [http://iweb.tntech.edu/cventura/Washi.htm Washi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407092145/http://iweb.tntech.edu/cventura/Washi.htm |date=2012-04-07 }}
{{Paper}}
{{Shinto shrine}}
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[[Category:Japanese paper| ]]
[[Category:Ukiyo-e]]
[[Category:Visual arts materials]]
[[Category:Origami]]
[[Category:Japanese art terminology]]