In the Misumi district of Hamada, paper has been made by hand for around 1,300 years. Sekishu washi is so strong that Osaka merchants kept their account books on it, and so light that Kagura masks and serpents several metres long are made from it.
UNESCO cultural heritage
In 2014, washi, the Japanese craft of handmade paper, was inscribed on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It covers only three papers from all of Japan, and Sekishu-banshi (石州半紙) from Hamada is one of them.
How it is made
The basis is kozo, the paper mulberry, which grows for three years before harvest. Unlike elsewhere, part of the outer bark stays in the fibres, which makes the paper especially tough. It is made using the Japanese nagashi-zuki method, in which the fibre pulp is swung across the screen again and again until an even layer forms.
Today Sekishu washi is used mainly for shōji sliding doors, calligraphy and painting, and for cards and envelopes. Since 1989 it has been officially recognised as a traditional Japanese craft.
Seeing and buying washi
In Misumi stands the Sekishu Washi Kaikan (石州和紙会館), the papermakers’ hall. There you can learn about the craft and buy paper and paper goods directly from the makers. Whether and when you can make a sheet yourself, I’m happy to check for you in advance.
Visit the papermakers?
I can help with directions, appointments and communication, in German or English.
Sources: Bunka Online – Sekishu-banshi (Japanese) · Shimane Prefecture – Sekishu washi (Japanese) · Hamada Tourism Association – Iwami Kagura (PDF, Japanese)