Kurotani Washi: The Beauty and Durability of Japanese Paper —Kurotani Washi Cooperative Group

Traditional Japanese paper, or washi, is known for its rustic quality. Made with plant fibers, washi is much tougher compared to ordinary paper made from wood pulp. Although there are hand papermakers all over the country, the Kurotani village of Ayabe City, in the mountainous northern region of Kyoto Prefecture, is especially famous for its 800-year history of producing extraordinary washi. Commonly referred to as Kurotani Washi, their washi papers are famed for their pristine beauty and durability. The art has been handed down to this day and is respectfully practiced by nine washi artisans.

Life in a small valley
Washi is rooted in nature. The art of making Japanese paper relies heavily on the region’s native trees with strong bast fibers and an ample supply of water from the mountain stream. It is believed that the frigid winters and snow are what enhances the beauty and durability of the natural material used for papermaking.

The Kurotani village, where Kurotani Washi is produced, is known for its harsh winters due to its geographic location, situated in a steep valley where two rivers meet. A mere stride away from the national highway and suddenly you will find yourself in a small village in the depths of the mountains. Since there’s no way out except for that one road you took to enter Kurotani, the village very much feels hidden and protected by mountains.

According to local folklore, people started making washi in this region around the end of 12th century, when the defeated samurais of the Taira clan fled the city and arrived to Kurotani. They were the first generation that made paper to make a living and since then, every household in the village lived as a professional washi artisan for centuries, until World War II.

Kurotani Washi was once acclaimed as the most durable paper in the country, applied to a variety of products from everyday items including postcards, umbrellas, lanterns and shoji paper screens, to high-end wrapping paper to wrap Kyoto-made luxury kimonos and tools used for silkworm farming, once a thriving industry in Ayabe City.

According to Mutsuko Yamashiro, expert washi maker and executive member of the Kurotani Washi Cooperative Group, there are three varieties of plants used in Japanese papermaking. At Kurotani, villagers use the most durable of them all, a paper mulberry hybrid variety called kozo (top image). “We only use the white inner bark by peeling off the outer bark. The tree grows two meters in one year, allowing us to harvest young branches every year to make tough, flexible paper,” explains Yamashiro.

The image on the right shows a dry bundle of the white inner bark, the key material to make washi. Kozo branches harvested in autumn are steamed, then rinsed and stepped on (massaged) in the river. Any remaining dark spots are carefully removed with a knife. The white inner bark is prepared with strenuous effort and mastery.

From fiber to paper
The washi maker who showed us their process of washi making is Yumiko Moniwa. She was born and raised in a different prefecture and previously worked as an elementary school teacher, until she fell in love with the art of washi making through her class, so deeply that she moved to Kurotani. The senior villagers trust her for her passionate and detail-oriented qualities and endorse her as one of the leading washi artisans of the next generation. She is also a part of a group of volunteers that helps with cultivating kozo.

Moniwa begins her preparation process five days prior to making paper. First, she softens the white inner bark by boiling them in a cauldron. Next, she washes away the lye using water pumped from the river and handpicks any dust particles. It is a painful, hand-numbing process especially in the wintertime, but a crucial step to make pristine white paper. The preparation is complete after the inner bark strips are pounded into chunks of fiber.

Needless to say, the actual papermaking process is also done by hand. A large tub called sukibune is filled with water, where kozo and plant-derived mucilage are added and mixed thoroughly. The mixture is scooped with an equipment made with wooden frames and a thin bamboo screen, then rocked gently in all directions to spread the fibers evenly. The rhythmic sound of liquid pulp splashing around echoes softly inside the quiet studio.

“The reason why washi is strong is because the bast fibers are complexly entwined due to this process. At Kurotani, we put in more time to make each sheet, which is why our paper is stronger. We make thin translucent paper as well, which also doesn’t tear very easily. Our papers are tough!” Moniwa says, proudly.

After a day of letting freshly made sheets rest in the studio, they are dried outdoors for completion. Each sheet contains a sense of warmth that handcrafted products have. The organic texture and the delicate fibrous pattern that appears when holding it up to the light are simply stunning.

“Kurotani is home to a variety of washi and papermaking techniques that have been passed down from generations, applied to make all kinds of items from stationery to fine art supplies. It’s really fun and worthwhile to be able to make different kinds of paper every day,” says Moniwa. Whenever she has a question about papermaking, she approaches an elderly walking in the neighborhood. They are all senior artisans who gladly share their expertise.

The secret to why Kurotani Washi is unparalleled perhaps lies in how the washi artisans have kept their level of focus and hard work for centuries, keeping the tradition alive by honoring and protecting their predecessors’ wisdom and technique.

Studio tour and workshop
The Kurotani Washi Building near the studio offers a variety of Kurotani washi products for sale (open from 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Mondays and Holidays). 

• Washi making workshops and studio tours are also available.
• Postcard making: 1,500 yen per person (tax included). Reservation necessary, minimum of 5 participants.
• Guided studio tour: 5,000 yen per group (tax included). Reservation necessary.

We recommend that you bring a translator with you for both of the above. Touring around the studio on your own without a guide is free of charge and no reservations are necessary—however, keep in mind that they might be taking the day off without a reservation.

Kurotani Washi

You will find Kurotani Washi paper factory in a small riverside village set against a backdrop of forest. 800 years ago, when a rogue samurai fled to the area, he found the forests here were filled with mulberry trees and started making paper by hand. This ancient art is still practiced in the same location in Kurotani even to to this day.

Tour the village and workshops where paper is still being made slowly and carefully, all by hand. Try making washi paper yourself in a small workshop led by one of Kurotani's artisans.
Tel0773-44-0213

Kurotani Washi Cooperative Group

Address 3 Higashidani, Kurotani-cho, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture
Access Take the JR Sanin Main Line to Ayabe Station and exit the station from the south exit. Walk 2 minutes from the "Kurotani Washi Kaikan Mae" bus stop on the Kurotani Aya Bus line.
Business Hours 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (paper making activity, last activity of the day starts at 3:30 p.m.)
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays
Closed from January to March (Open only on Saturday & Sunday)
URL https://www.uminokyoto.jp/english/experience/detail.php?experience_id=31