Household registration, copying sutras, ceremonies, events, Japanese calligraphy, Japanese style paintings, shoji (paper screens), fusuma (sliding doors), karakasa (oiled-paper umbrellas), rain capes, lighting apparatus, serving dishes…in Japan, "washi" has been used in wide range of fields from shrine rituals and art to livingware as well as recording paper. Why has washi been used for such a variety of purposes? "Washi," paper produced in Japan, has plenty of superior characteristics such as natural durability, beauty, comfortable lightness and pliancy. These merits are supported by an original Japanese papermaking process.

Washi is made from soft fibers just inside the bark of kozo (broussonetia kazinoki xpapyrifera), the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia chrysantha), or the gampi tree. "Kozo" has been used most among these. In the Shosoin Temple in Nara, we can see household registration washi papers still remain their shape although they were made more than 1300 years ago. It is said that this washi was also made from "kozo." Then why was "kozo" selected from among diverse plants? There are certain reasons. "Kozo" has naturally grown in Japanese mountains and fields. Its long fibers enable the making of durable and elastic paper. Also it is relatively easy to cultivate kozo and it grows fast. In addition, it is possible to harvest the fibers from a kozo plant many times as its life-span is about 20-30 years.

In order to produce more beautiful washi, it is necessary to process materials elaborately. Fibers taken out from plants such as kozo are soaked in clear river water and impurities are removed piece by piece. After devoting a great deal of time and care, washi is produced by an original Japanese technique called "nagashisuki." This technique, conceived in Japan, produces paper by crisscrossing a filtering tool 4 or 5 times. Through shaking the tool in this way, fibers intertwine with each other, and durable, elastic and beautiful paper is produced. After taking the moisture out of the paper over time, the paper is placed on a wooden board and dried under the sun. Through exposing the paper to sunlight, the color and gloss become more beautiful and a unique texture is created.

The original Japanese nagashisuki technique making use of kozo, "washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper" was registered as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2014. "Sekishubanshi" of Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, "Honminoshi" of Mino City in Gifu Prefecture, and "Hosokawashi" of Ogawa Town/Higashi-chichibu Village in Saitama Prefecture were selected. They all use the same material, and filter paper using the same technique, but the paper textures are different from place to place, and each sheet of paper is filled with handmade warmth. In addition to these three districts, varieties of washi have been produced in many places in Japan using traditional manual techniques.

Based on natural blessings such as plants growing in the wild, clean water and brilliant sunlight, washi which is manually filtered piece by piece has bountiful aspects inside, and brings us calm and comfort. But unfortunately, now we have fewer opportunities to use washi in the Japanese modern lifestyle. As well as praising washi as world "heritage," we should find more opportunities to use washi as nature-blessed "assets" in our lifestyles. Then, washi's allure can be further appealed to the world.

（Mitsuru Numata）