Paper Making at Washi no Sato

Whilst staying in Washi no Sato, we were introduced to the Saitama region’s traditional paper making industry and processes. This paper making technique is called Ogawa Washi, which has continued to exist in the area for the past 1300 years. The paper is made from a plant called the Kozo tree, where the bark is turned into a pulp and made into paper through bamboo screens.

We got to try out this traditional paper making method for ourselves, and I must admit it is much harder than it looks! We were shown the process by one of the instructors who had over fifteen years of paper making experience, showing us how to stir the paper pulp mixture through, correctly align and fasten the bamboo screens and dip and shake the mixture through the screen so the paper would lay flat on top.

Mixing the pulp-like mixture through!

The washi paper being laid out!

One thing I did not account for is how hard it was to remember the steps whilst shaking the paper through the screen which lead to me accidentally dipping the screen from the wrong angle, creating a thick line of crinkled washi paper which would give my washi paper a warped appearance. My lacking success was clearly recognised by the instructor, who gave me a sorry disappointed look (I don’t blame him, definitely not my best work!). At least my warped piece of washi paper had a little bit of character, and looked almost like mountains in the background!

Here’s some videos of me giving it a go for the second time!

Despite my paper making skills drastically lacking due to my lack of coordination, this experience was really fun! I felt as if I have learnt a lot about how paper is made into thin sheets, as well as how labour intensive it can be! I am honoured to experience a traditional paper making process which has existed in Japan for over 1000 years, as well as bring back that knowledge and share it with others back at home. One amazing thing is how these washi papers can be adapted to a large array of art practices, such as painting, printmaking, drawing and paper crafts such as origami. Hopefully I can utilise these beautiful papers when I get home, and make my own works to compliment this beautiful tradition of paper making!