和紙

Washi (和紙) is the traditional Japanese paper made from the long bast fibers of three plants: kōzo (Broussonetia papyrifera, paper mulberry), mitsumata (Edgeworthia chrysantha), and gampi (Wikstroemia sikokiana). The word combines wa (和), the classical Chinese-derived character meaning 'Japanese' or 'harmony' (the same character in the old name for Japan, Yamato), and shi (紙), meaning 'paper.' Washi thus means simply 'Japanese paper,' distinguished from yōshi (洋紙), Western paper made by different methods from wood pulp. The distinction between washi and yōshi is not merely one of origin but of fundamental physical character: washi fibers are much longer than wood-pulp fibers, and the resulting paper has greater strength, flexibility, and translucency. A sheet of well-made washi is often stronger than a sheet of machine-made paper several times its weight.

Papermaking techniques were introduced to Japan from China through Korea around the 7th century CE, during the reign of Empress Suiko. The earliest records of Japanese papermaking date to 610 CE, when the Korean Buddhist monk Donchō is said to have brought knowledge of papermaking and ink-grinding to the Japanese court. Japanese craftsmen quickly adapted the continental techniques to local plant materials — particularly the kōzo tree, which was easier to cultivate in Japan than the hemp and rattan used in Chinese paper — and by the Nara period (710–794), Japanese paper production had developed distinctive characteristics that differentiated it from its continental models. The Shōsōin repository at Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara contains washi documents from the 8th century that remain in excellent condition today — a testimony to the material's longevity under proper storage conditions.

Washi's uses in traditional Japanese culture were vast and pervasive. It served as writing surface for government documents, sutras, poetry, and correspondence; as a translucent screen material for shoji panels; as the body of paper lanterns; as material for kites, umbrellas, and fans; as the surface for woodblock printing in ukiyo-e; and in the craft of origami. Specific regional traditions of washi production developed across Japan, each with distinctive characteristics of fiber preparation, sheet formation, and surface quality. Echizen washi (Fukui Prefecture), Mino washi (Gifu Prefecture), and Tosa washi (Kōchi Prefecture) — along with two other traditions — were collectively designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014, recognizing the craft's living continuity and cultural significance.

In the late 19th and 20th centuries, the industrialization of paper production devastated traditional washi making across Japan, as cheaper machine-made paper displaced handmade sheets for most everyday purposes. The craft survived in a reduced number of specialist workshops serving art, calligraphy, bookbinding, and conservation markets. Contemporary washi makers produce for artists, printmakers, paper conservators at museums and libraries, and a growing international market of craft enthusiasts. Japanese washi has been used in the conservation of Western artworks — including works at the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art — because its strength and archival stability make it ideal for backing fragile works on paper. The Japanese word entered English through art conservation, printmaking, and Japanese art scholarship.