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Washi Continues to Play Integral Role in Daily Life---A visit to the almost 370-year-old Ozu Washi store---There is an ukiyo-e by the famous woodblock print artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) depicting the hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s Nihombashi area during the Edo period(1603– 1868). In the picture, one can see the Ozu Washi store, which still stands on thesame site and continues to do business almost 370 years since its founding.
Ozu Washi is a specialty store that, ever since its establishment, has engaged in theprocurement and sale of washi (Japanese paper) produced at workshops across thecountry. Today the head office building of the store not only sells washi goods but also
fulfills the role of a disseminator of washi culture by, among other activities, displaying
historical materials showing the relationship between paper and the Japanese people
and holding calligraphy and ink painting classes. If they want, visitors can also
experience washi papermaking under the guidance of Mr. Kiyoshi Takagi, formerly
deputy manager of the shop and now in charge of public relations. Mr. Takagi showedme around Ozu Washi’s head office building, and I asked him about the reasons for thedevelopment of paper culture in Japan and the outstanding practicability of washi.

The Ozu store is shown on the right at the back in Utagawa Hiroshige’s“Prosperity in Odenmagai in the Eastern Capital.”Ozu Washi was founded in 1653, in the early Edo period, as a washi wholesaler.
Previously washi had been used only by the nobility and samurai, but at that time washi
production and consumption were expanding as paper use spread among the masses too.
It was an age in which ordinary folk also engaged in learning, enjoyed reading books,
purchased ukiyo-e, and even used disposable paper like today’s tissue paper. The
business of collecting old paper and paper scraps took off, and there was even a recycling
system by which the collected paper was turned into recycled paper.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)Westerners who began to visit Japan in the nineteenth century were amazed thatJapanese houses were “made of wood and paper.” What they saw was the daily life of theJapanese people surrounded by paper---interior furniture like paper screens and sliding
paper doors, paper lampshades for lights and lanterns, and even umbrellas and raincoats
made of paper. Papermaking technology was already advanced in the West, but suchuses of paper, and the concept of disposable paper, did not exist. The reason seems to lie
in the raw materials and method of producing washi.
The

traditional

producinghand-madetechniqueofwashi

wasregistered as a UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage in 2014. Standing infront of a poster marking that occasion,
Mr. Takagi first showed me the raw
materials of washi and Western paper.
They looked just the same, a bit like dry
Raw materials for Western paper (left) andwashi (right)

cotton. But when I touched them, thedifference was clear. While the raw

material for Western paper easily fell apart, the raw material for washi did not break up
so easily. Pulp, which is the raw material for Western paper, involves the felling ofvarious trees, removal of the surface bark, and grinding of the central part. The raw
material for washi comes from the fiber-rich bark of such shrubs as kozo (papermulberry), mitsumata (Edgeworthia papyrifera), gampi (Wikstroemia sikokiana), andhemp. The fiber is unraveled into fine strips. Because each strip of fiber is long, sturdy,and firmly intertwined, it is difficult to break up the raw material. It is this raw material
that makes washi so supple and strong.
A familiar product of the washi
papermaking
banknote.

techniqueComparedisthewiththebanknotes of other countries, Japanesebanknotes are very robust. Even when
they are crumpled and uncrumpledrepeatedly more than a hundred times,
they do not disintegrate. This is because Kozo bark, the raw material for washi
the banknotes are manufactured using the technique of washi papermaking thatIHCSA Café

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intertwines the fiber.
In Western papermaking technology, the raw material is repeatedly made and piled
into layers. As a result, the finished paper is strong but thick. In contrast, in the case ofwashi, the fiber is intertwined through a complex process in which the raw material isshaken vertically and horizontally. This technique produces a robust paper without theneed for layering. As a result, the finished paper isthin and translucent. Furthermore, the amount of
raw material used is small, so it is an eco-friendly
technique just right for a country like Japan withscant resources.
This difference in production method is evident
for not only hand-made but also machine-madepaper. In the case of Western paper, the mixed raw
material is placed on the conveyor belt and sent atultrafast speed in one direction to make the paper.
In the case of washi, however, the conveyor belt ismade to vibrate vertically and horizontally as theraw material moves along. As a result, although theHand-made washi papermaking
experience; Mr. Takagi is on theleft.

speed of manufacturing is slowed, the fibers
intertwine tightly to produce paper that is almost as
strong as hand-made paper.

Thanks to these original raw materials and methods, washi is thin and has
outstanding durability and translucency. And it has given rise to a unique paper culture
in Japan. Since the high absorbency of washi makes it ideal in Japan’s hot and humid
climate, washi has been widely used in daily life.
In the twentieth century various materials replacing paper were invented and massproduced both in Japan and overseas, and the presence of paper in daily life diminished.
Even today, although washi is closely associated with Japan’s traditional culture, suchas calligraphy, Japanese painting, colored craft paper, and tissue paper for the tea
ceremony, most Japanese have an image of washi as something out of the ordinary. Also,
the trend of the times is toward a paperless society. Is there any demand for the practicaluse of washi then?
Mr. Takagi told me about some surprising uses of washi today. In the process ofsmoking to make ham, for example, machine-made washi produced from 100% hemp isused; the surface is coated with layers of liquid rayon. The washi is molded into aIHCSA Café

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cylindrical shape, into which the ham is inserted for smoking. Because of its breathability,
sturdiness, and resistance to breakage, washi is a perfect material for smoking.
Furthermore, although breathable, washi does not allow fine particles in the atmosphereto pass through. Taking advantage of this characteristic, machine-made washi is also
used in the small bags containing antibacterial preservatives for confectionary. Inaddition, washi masking tape is widely used at construction sites and so on. While it isdifficult to cleanly remove ordinary duct tape, the strong and hard fibers of washi stickfirmly to the adhesive surface, so apparently there is no residue after removal.
On the third floor of the Ozu Washi building,little-known uses of washi are introduced.
Washi yarn is produced by cutting washi into
thin strips and twisting them into a threadlike shape. Towels, socks, and other items
made by combining washi yarn with chemical
fiber are already on sale in shops. They have alight, soft touch and of course are washable
Washi yarnover and over again.

Ultrathin washi, which flutters even in thealmost completely still room, is used by art galleries
around the world in the restoration of works.
Because of the ultrathin washi’s high degree oftransparency, the original work underneath is not
obscured even when the washi is placed over thesurface. Ultrathin washi can also be attached to theback of the work for reinforcement. In addition,
because ultrathin washi adapts well to the tones ofold paper, it is used in the restoration of olddocuments too.
An acoustic loudspeaker using washi has been

Ultrathin washi

developed as well. Instead of a speaker, a washi tapestry is placed in front of the soundsource. Vibrations are transmitted from the sound source to the washi, as in bone
conduction, and these vibrations turn into music that fills the space all around. Thesound is not distorted and can be heard far and near, above and below. Apparently one
does not tire of the sound even when listening for a long time.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)As well as various washi produced around the country, the shop on the first floor sells
accessories and sundries made from washi. Washable washi masks and washi mask
cases, which take advantage of washi’s antibiotic property, are popular. The potential ofwashi as not only a traditional craft but also an integral part of daily life continues togrow.

The shop sells washi accessories andOzu History Museumother products.
Finally, I visited the Ozu History Museum on the third floor of the building. This
museum displays many materials relating to the history of Ozu Washi since its founding.
Among them, there are hints on how to continue a business for well over three centuries.
Pointing to a photo of the Ozu main store inMatsusaka near Ise, Mr. Takagi told me an interestingstory. For some reason, the photo shows many cooking
utensils in the store. Apparently, in the Edo period, theMatsusaka store used to serve food free of charge tocustomers from Edo (present-day Tokyo) who weremaking the pilgrimage to Ise Shrine. At that time, theroundtrip between Edo and Ise took about a month.
The idea was that if Ozu’s customers told others they
The Ozu main shop inMatsusaka near Ise; manycooking utensils can be seen.

encountered on the way about this service, thereputation of Ozu would spread. In other words, Ozu
saw the pilgrimages to Ise Shrine, which became anationwide boom in the Edo period, as a business chance and used word-of-mouth
chitchat as publicity.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)The historical materials show that while Ozu enjoyed plain sailing through the Edo
period, it then got caught up in the throes of the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
As Ozu was a large merchant, it received demands for huge military funds. Several
receipts on display, including one for 15,000 ryo, show that Ozu supplied funds to theshogunate army. Converted into present-day value, the total of all the receipts comes toa whopping several billion yen.
Atthesametime,

Ozu

providedaconsiderable amount of funds to the forces
opposing the shogunate as well. It was a wise
strategy to guarantee survival whichever side
won and formed a government in the future.
Eventually the shogunate collapsed and the
new Meiji government took over the reins. The
new government subsequently appointed theowner of Ozu to some honorable posts,
including president of Shoho Kaisho, a newcommercial agency set up by the new
government the first joint-stock corporation inA receipt for 15,000 ryo issued by theshogunate

Japan. The flexible two-pronged diplomacy
adopted by Ozu toward the end of the Edo

period had paid off.
In the Meiji period (1868–1912) Ozu branched out into diverse businesses, includingbanking and spinning. Later, it recovered from the blows of the Great Kanto Earthquake
in 1923 and the Great Depression in the 1930s, abolished the hereditary systemcharacteristic of old establishments, and promoted flexible management. Indeed, Ozu
Washi’s ability to overcome the challenges of the times seems to be an embodiment of thestrength and suppleness of washi itself.
Cooperation:
Ozu Washi (Ozu Shoten Co., Ltd.)
Address: Ozu Honkan Bldg., 3-6-2 Nihombashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0023
Tel.: 03-3662-1184 Fax: 03-3663-9460
Closed: Sundays, New Year holidays
Website: https://www.ozuwashi.net/en/

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