Washi: Japan’s Living Paper Tradition
Washi (Japanese traditional handmade paper) has been produced in Japan for over 1,300 years and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014, recognising the craft communities of Echizen (Fukui), Mino (Gifu), and Ogawa/Higashichichibu (Saitama). The word “wa” means Japanese and “shi” means paper – it is simply Japanese paper, but its qualities set it apart from Western machine-made equivalents in texture, durability, and translucency.
Traditional washi is made from the bast fibres of three plants: kozo (mulberry), mitsumata, and gampi. Kozo-based washi is the most common and the most accessible for workshops. The fibres are soaked, beaten, and suspended in water with a natural thickening agent called neri before being scooped onto bamboo frames (su) in a process called nagashi-zuki. The water drains through the frame leaving a thin mat of interlocked fibres, which is then pressed and dried on wooden boards.
Workshop Locations
Echizen in Fukui Prefecture is considered the heartland of Japanese papermaking. The Echizen Washi no Sato (Paper Village) complex in Imadate-cho offers hands-on workshops for visitors, a museum tracing 1,500 years of local paper history, and working studio spaces where traditional craftspeople can be observed. Paper-related festivals and events are held seasonally. Echizen is approximately one hour from Fukui Station by bus, making it a feasible day trip from Kyoto via the Thunderbird express train.
In Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture – easily accessible from Tokyo – the Ogawa Washi Kobo workshop offers half-day and full-day sessions including fibre processing, sheet formation, and drying. The town of Ogawa has been producing paper since the seventh century and is designated a national important intangible cultural property production centre. Multiple small workshops in the town accept advance reservations.
Mino City in Gifu Prefecture, roughly accessible from Nagoya, hosts the Udatsu Townscape historic district alongside washi workshops and a paper museum. The annual Mino Washi Akari Art Exhibition in October, where thousands of washi lanterns light the old townscape, draws significant visitor interest.
What a Workshop Involves
A standard washi workshop for visitors focuses on the nagashi-zuki (floating scoop) sheet-formation technique. Participants receive prepared kozo fibre suspension in a large vat, then practice the characteristic side-to-side rocking motion of the bamboo frame as they scoop fibres from the water. Multiple attempts are usually provided before the best sheet is selected for pressing and drying.
Many workshops allow decorative additions: pressing dried flowers, coloured fibres, or gold leaf flakes between layers during the formation process. The resulting sheets are genuinely usable – for calligraphy, printing, card-making, or as art pieces. Thicker sheets suitable for painting or printmaking can typically be requested at workshops catering to artists and craftspeople.
Washi Products Worth Knowing
Beyond workshops, washi is embedded throughout Japanese craft culture. Yuzen-dyed washi used as gift wrapping paper, kakishibu (persimmon tannin)-treated washi for home goods, and kozo washi notebooks are widely available in craft shops in Kyoto, Tokyo, and paper-producing regions. Itoya in Ginza, Tokyo maintains a dedicated floor for premium Japanese papers. The longevity of washi (some documents on kozo washi have survived over 1,000 years) makes it genuinely functional for archival purposes alongside its aesthetic appeal.