Day 5, Japan Paper Tour | A much anticipated visit to Awagami Paper Factory, which continues to use sustainable, traditional processes to make Japanese #washi paper. We had the great pleasure of visiting, meeting Fujimori-San the 7th generation family owner, learning about how the paper is made, and getting a chance to make some ourselves. The shop was also very much visited ☺️
Huge thank you to everyone who made us so welcome, specially to Fujimori-San, to Sho for the tour and to Nishioka-San for the paper making lesson.
1. Yoichi Fujimori, the factory’s owner with
@markandfold founder
@amycooperwright
2. The working factory
@awagami_factory @awagamifactory_jp
3/4. Making blocks of pulp for the ‘make at home’ kit which is sold in the shop
5. Amy having a go at paper-making. The wood and mesh frame is called a deckle, and it’s used to scoop a thin layer of pulp that settles before you add a second layer (or more for thicker paper)
6. Kozo (mulberry) bark, after it has been steamed, stripped, cleaned and beaten. It resembles woven cloth. Japanese paper differs from European paper in that it uses the bark, rather than the core of the branch, making for longer fibres and extremely strong papers even in very light weights. It’s grown sustainably - branches are pruned in winter and allowed to grow again next summer, with the plant thriving and even proliferating on its own via subterranean runners.
7. Top: #kozo bark which has been beaten into pulp. Bottom: #neri a sticky goo extracted from an okra-like plant, this helps with dispersion.
8. Blue skies outside in sunny #shikoku
9. Amy drying a piece of ‘water drops’ paper she is making
10. #Indigodye area
11. Examples of work produced on the artist residency programme
12. Indigo dipped paper for sale in the shop (but not for long!)
13. More experiments with paper
14. An example of ‘water drop’ texture (see our stories for the process & to see Amy having a go at making this)
15/16. The team at work.
17. A sunset visit to the Shinto shrine nearby, built to honour the Inbe clan, who brought local paper-making (or Awa Washi) to the area around 1,300 years ago.
18. Goodnight from Mima Udatsu Townscape
