Making washi by hand in Ogawa

On my second day in Ogawa, it was time for me to learn how to make washi by hand. This is a skill that takes many years of practice, but it was a great opportunity for me to try to make it. 


In addition to kozo, a second ingredient is needed to make washi.  It is called neri, it is a viscous starch- a very slimy material. What makes neri so special is that, although it is a starch, it does not act as a glue. It is added to the water and kozo mixture to allow the fibers to separate and spread evenly in the water, and it helps the fibers to bind together.  Kozo, water, and neri are mixed together in a big vat called a sukibune. 


Neri (tororo aoi)

Neri will be added to the kozo and water mixture in the sukibune

The papermaker uses a frame (meta) along with a bamboo screen (su) which combined is called a sugeta. The sugeta is repeatedly dipped into the mixture and rocks side to side, then back and forth, then dumps the mixture out of the sugeta.  This process is repeated multiple times, each time creating a layer of kozo which adds to the density of the paper. 



The paper is peeled from the su and each is stacked on top of one another.  Miraculously, they sheets do not stick to one another, mainly because of the knitting together of the kozo fibers.  The stack of paper is then pressed, to drain the excess liquid. 


removing the paper

stacking the paper

pressing the paper

Finally, the paper is dried. This time, we dried it on a heated stainless steel plate, although sometimes they are dried on boards and placed in the sun. 

Ogawa is an ideal place to make washi, as the temperature is cold (which is necessary to prevent mold and to allow the neri to stay thick), yet it is sunny in the winter, which allows the paper to dry thoroughly outside on boards. Once the paper is dry, it is peeled off of the boards and ready to use. 

 

steel plate for drying paper

brushing the paper flat

Using Format