Washi
Japanese paper (Japanese和 纸, washi or wagami ) is handmade, translucent paper from Japan.
Production
Japanese paper is made from fibers of shrubs lower plant height. The best known among them are Gampi, Kozu and Mitsumata. Gampi grows only in moderate climates. Their fibers result in a resistant paper. It is grown more and more rare and is therefore more expensive. Kozu is grown frequently. The papers of this plant are very tough. From Mitsumata papers with fine texture and special softness are produced.
Kozu and Mitsumata be cut in the winter, bound the tribes to half the length and triggered the bark over hot steam. This is crushed by hitting or tapping. Why some papers are also particularly resistant. Often the fibers of the three types referred to be used in various mixture ratios. After a lot of water was added, the raw material is drawn with a bamboo screen. This has a length of 120 cm to 150 cm. After one to two minutes, after contaminants have been removed, the wet sheet is superimposed in stacks so as to be then taken out to dry. The top sheet is then placed each like a flag on a board and brushed with a brush ( see pictures). Therefore one side of the sheet is smooth, the other a bit rougher. Next to the old tradition of hand scooping and modern manufacturing methods have been established in Asia, with which inexpensive varieties are produced.
The technique to produce paper from any plant fibers, has existed for more than 1300 years. With the advent of paper from wood pulp in Japan with the Meiji Restoration ( 1868 ) the Japanese paper traditionally produced lost its role as a bulk, and so it is assigned to the crafts today.
Use
Japanese paper is used mainly in traditional ink painting use. However, it is also used in many other artistic fields. Similarly, in the restoration of old books in order to fix or compensate for gaps in the paper and defects in the production of Japanese shoji sliding walls and the creation of Oshigata.