Japanese paper

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Sugiharagami (杉原 紙), a type of washi
Origami cranes made from washi
IseWashi ( Japanese 伊 勢 和 紙 ) is a type of Japanese paper that is produced in Ise ( Mie Prefecture ). The paper mill was founded in 1899.

Japanese paper ( Japanese 和 紙 washi , or wagami ) is hand-made, translucent paper from Japan . It is also known as rice paper , although it is not made from any components of rice plants. A distinction is made between the following types:

  • Tesuki Washi : handmade paper (Washi)
  • Kikaizuki Washi: machine-made paper
  • Yoshi: machine-made western-style paper

Manufacturing

Japanese paper is made from bast fibers from low-growth trees. The best known of them are:

Next be Kurara Sophora flavescens (Syn .: Sophora angustifolia ) fibers from stems and bark and Asa hemp Cannabis sativa used. Also abaca (Manila hemp), cotton, horse hair, Rayon , silver and gold films are used. Others are the muku tree Aphananthe aspera , Boehmeria platanifolia , the Chinese Wisteria Wisteria sinensis , and the white mulberry Morus alba .

Gampi only grows in mild climates. Their fibers make a durable paper. It is grown less and less and is therefore also more expensive. Kozo is grown more often. The papers from this plant are very tough. Papers with fine fibers and a special softness are made from Mitsumata .

Kozu and Mitsumata are cut in winter, the trunks are tied halfway and the bark is removed using hot steam. These are then washed and boiled with alkalis ( caustic soda , sodium carbonate , linden and wood ash) to make it easier for the non-cellulosic materials to dissolve in the bast fibers, then washed again and then crushed by beating or knocking (kokai), then washed again (Kamidashi). This is why some types of paper are particularly tough. The fibers of the types mentioned are often used in different mixing ratios.

Plant mucilage can be added to the fiber mixture . These are called Neri , they are obtained from different plants and can also be mixed with each other:

nowadays is Kagaku Neri (synthetic Neri, polyacrylamide , polyethylene oxide ) is used. Other vegetable mucilages can also be used.

As an additive to the paper pulp, Neri has the task of holding the fibers in suspension, i.e. preventing them from settling; it is actually a dispersing agent . Neri is effective when used with soft water as in Japan, but is useless when used with hard water. Originally, paper production was passed on from China to Japan. This was long before Neri was discovered as a dispersant. Once discovered, the unique Japanese technique was established in the Heian period . Only with Neri can such thin paper be made.

There are two types of paper : Nagashi-zuki (with Neri), produces a thinner paper, while Tame-zuki (without Neri), produces a thicker paper. Japanese paper has a length of 120 to 150 cm.

After a lot of water has been added, the raw material is scooped up with a bamboo sieve (suketa). After one to two minutes, and after the impurities have been removed, the wet sheet is laid on top of one another in stacks (Shito). The process of pressing takes place in which the water is almost completely squeezed out, this usually takes place overnight. The next day, the damp papers are placed between two larger boards and pressed with a compressor to remove the moisture, then they are brought to dry.

The pressed papers are carefully removed from the pile and brushed onto wooden panels to dry naturally or on mechanical dryers ( steam-heated metal surfaces) . The wooden boards of the pine , horse chestnut and Japanese cypress are used as drying boards . The best wood for drying is ginkgo tree , as it has a smooth, even surface. The top sheet is then placed on a board like a flag and brushed with a brush (see pictures). That's why one side of the arch is smooth and the other a bit rougher. The drying process, natural (Itaboshi) or mechanical (Joki Kansoki), affects the finished paper. In particular, when thick paper is dried by a mechanical dryer, the surface of the paper tends to be flaky and overdried.

The finished papers can be made with dosa (made from animal glue and alum ) (to prevent ink bleeding), konnyaku powder ( devil's tongue Amorphophallus konjac ) (a starch that increases wet strength) or kakishibu (persimmon tannin , which are unripe fruits of kaki ) crushed, juiced and fermented ).

It can also be colored with chemical or natural dyes, or textured to make paper such as momigami (a randomly crumpled paper) or chirimen (a crepe textured paper).

In addition to the old tradition of hand-making, modern production methods have also established themselves in Asia with which inexpensive varieties are produced.

The technique of making paper from any plant fiber and neri has been around for more than 1300 years. With the advent of pulp paper in Japan, in the Meiji Restoration (from 1868), the traditionally produced Japanese paper lost its role as a bulk commodity, and so it is now assigned to handicrafts.

There is a special name for the paper depending on the region, production period and use. Every paper has its special characteristics and characteristics.

use

Japanese paper is mainly used in traditional ink painting . But it is also used in many other artistic fields. The same applies to the restoration of old books in order to repair or compensate for gaps in the paper and defects, in the manufacture of Japanese Shōji sliding walls and the creation of Oshigata .

Pictures of the manufacturing process

  • Ogawamatchi8.jpg
  • Ogawamatchi6.jpg
  • Ogawamatchi7.jpg
  • Ogawamatchi5.jpg
  • Ogawamatchi4.jpg

See also

Web links

Commons : Washi  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Japanese paper  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

  • Therese Weber: The language of paper. A 2000 year history. Haupt, Bern 2004, ISBN 3-258-06793-7 , cultural and art-historical aspects of paper in Asia and Europe as well as PaperArt.
  • Therese Weber: Washi. Japanese papermaking past and present. Association of Swiss Paper Historians, Basel 1988 ISBN 3-909051-01-4 limited edition, a technical and historical explanation.
  • Peter F. Dunkel (ed.), Irmtraud Schaarschmidt-Richter (text): Japanese paper. Crafts and arts. Culture Department of the City of Kaiserslautern 2003.
  • Irmtraud Schaarschmidt-Richter: Washi. Crafts, arts and uses of Japanese paper. Thunum: Ed. Peperkorn 2006, ISBN 978-3-929181-71-5 .
  • Dominique Buisson: Japanese Paper Art. Masks, lanterns, dragons, dolls, origami. Terrail, Paris 1992, ISBN 2-87939-010-9 .
  • Mariko Takagi: Washi. Self-published by Mariko Tagaki, Meerbusch 2001.
  • Françoise Paireau: Papiers japonais. Biro, Paris 1991. ISBN 2-87660-110-9 .
  • Sukei Hughes: Washi. The world of Japanese paper. Kodansha International, Tokyo 1978.
  • Bunshō Jugaku: Paper-making by hand in Japan. Tokyo 1959.
  • Dard Hunter: A Papermaking pilgrimage to Japan, Korea and China. Pynson Printers, New York 1936.
  • Doris Prabhu: Washi. A journey into Japanese paper. Frieling, Berlin 1988 ISBN 3-89009-048-6 one-time limited edition on Washi (Washi production by the author), philosophical outline on the subject of paper, art book.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ IseWashi official website on isewashi.co.jp., Accessed on 11 November 2016.
  2. ^ Charlotte von Verschuer, Wendy Cobcroft: Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan. Routledge, 2016, ISBN 978-1-138-88521-9 , p. 210.
  3. ↑ Robertta A. Uhl: Japanese Washi Paper Crafts. Tuttle Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8048-3813-9 , p. 5.
  4. ↑ a b J. J. Rein : The Industries of Japan. Hodder and Staunton, London 1889; Routledge, 2016, ISBN 978-0-7007-0351-7 (Reprint), p. 393, archive.org .
  5. ↑ Max Dörner: Painting material and its use in the picture. 19th edition, reviewed and supplemented by Thomas Hoppe. Seemann, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-363-00753-1 , p. 274.
  6. ↑ Max Dörner: Painting material and its use in the picture. 19th edition, reviewed and supplemented by Thomas Hoppe. Seemann, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-363-00753-1 , p. 275.