和紙について
和紙は主に楮、三椏、雁皮の靭皮（木の皮の内側の繊維）を原料としています。木材パルプを含むものもあります。 その他には麻、竹、綿などを使用したものもあります。漉き方には大きく分けて「流し漉き」と「溜め漉き」があり、手漉き製品と機械漉き製品があります。原料を煮て柔らかくし、砕解して繊維をばらし、トロロアオイなどのネリと水と一緒に漉き舟に入れ、紙を漉きます。漉いた紙は重ね、まとめて水分を圧搾し、板に貼付け乾燥させるのが主な製作方法です。
What do you know about Washi paper ?
Washi (和紙), meaning Japanese (和) Paper (紙), is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the kozo (paper mulberry tree), the mitsumata shrub, which is a plant native to Japan, or a deciduous shrub called the gampi tree. It also can be made using hemp, bamboo, cotton and so on.
There are mainly two methods of making washi paper: Nagashi-suki, or fiber flow papermaking and Tame-suki, or fiber settling papermaking.
The paper products are both handmade and machine made, but in general, the bast, or inner bark, is first soaked and boiled in hot water. Then its fiber is beaten with a rod so that the fibers are pulled apart without getting destroyed. Then it is mixed with water and tororo-aoi, which is used as a glue. The mixture is next poured into a Suki-bune, or paper making boat, to form a sheet of paper.
The paper is stacked wet, the water is pressed out, then laid out to dry on a board.
楮 kozo（paper mulberry tree）
三椏 mitsumata
雁皮 gampi
麻 hemp
木材パルプ Wood pulp
トロロアオイ tororo-aoi（glue）
和紙 5つの魅力
Five Charms of Washi Paper
1
上質な風合い、素材そのままの色
Fine Texture, Natural Color
空気を多くむ和紙独特のやわらかなテクスチャー。
そして天然素材そのままの色と質感が楽しめるのが和紙の大きな魅力です。
Washi paper has its unique texture which is gentle with an airy kind of feel. You can enjoy the color and texture of natural material.
2
強靭さと軽さ
Toughness and Lightness
洋紙に比べ、薄くても強く、軽いのが和紙の特徴です。特に楮を原料とする和紙は、繊維同士が絡み合い結束するため、厚みのあるものは特に簡単には破れないほどの強度があります。
Some thin washi papers are tough and light, compared to compared to other types of paper, especially those with Kozo pulp, the fiber which is entangled to make it tougher. With a thicker washi paper, you cannot even tear it easily.
3
小ロット生産（手漉き/機械漉き）
Small Lot Production
手漉きで200枚程度から、機械漉きで800m程度から製作が可能です。
大判の壁紙や襖紙などは、1枚からオーダー可能です。（条件によります）
We can take your order starting from 200 sheets of handmade washi paper or 800 meters of machine made washi paper.
For a large size washi wall paper or fusuma paper, you can order from one sheet, depending on your needs (contact us for more information.)
4
多様性
Versatility
原料の組み合わせや製作方法で、テクスチャー、厚み、色合い、そしてコスト面もさまざまなご要望に対応できるのが和紙の大きなメリットです。
You can order different kinds of texture, thickness or color shades of washi paper by mixing with different raw materials, or different ways of papermaking. The cost of washi paper varies by the way it is made or the raw materials required to meet your request.
5
メイドインジャパンの高品質
JAPAN Made High Quality
和紙の歴史は古く「日本書紀」に和紙伝来の記録が掲載されています。
日本人ならではの感性と技術により発展を遂げた和紙は、他国に誇れるクオリティーの高さです。
Washi paper has a long history and it can be traced back to the 8th century in the second oldest book of classical Japanese history called, The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan.
In it, there is a description of the introduction of washi paper to Japan. Sensitivity and craftspersonship which are somewhat unique to Japanese made it possible to achieve the development of washi paper to the world’s top quality.