“Paper” is indispensable to everyday life.
Today, we can easily buy paper made in paper mills, but before industrialization, handmade washi paper was produced throughout Japan.
The history of Oku-Bitchu Kojiro (Oku-Bitchu Kojiro) washi also lives on in the Kongo district of Niimi City, nestled in the valleys of the Chugoku Mountains.
At Yume-Suki Park Paper Museum, whose symbol is Japan’s largest parent-child-grandchild waterwheel, you can learn about the history of Oku-Bitchu Kojiro washi and try making your own handmade washi.
We also spoke with members of the Kojiro Washi Preservation Society, who revived the art of washi-making after it had once died out and are working to pass it on.
The information presented was accurate when this article was published in April 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Yume-Suki Park Paper Museum and Oku-Bitchu Kojiro Washi
Yume-Suki Park, a place to relax
Yume-Suki Park is located along the Kojiro River in the Kongo district of Niimi City.
The waterwheels, measuring 13.6 meters, 6 meters, and 4.5 meters in diameter, are known as the “parent-child-grandchild waterwheels.” Together, the three form the largest waterwheel installation in Japan.
The park is equipped with places to play by the river and in the open spaces, making it an ideal spot to enjoy a day off surrounded by nature.
The park opened in 1991 to restore waterwheels that had been used to power rice polishing and flour milling until the mid-Showa period, share the history of Oku-Bitchu Kojiro washi, and help revitalize the area.
The facility houses the Paper Museum, where visitors can try making washi, and Kitchen Kojiro, a restaurant that opened in July 2020.
The facility is run by Irori Company Co., Ltd., which raises its own branded beef, Chiya Hanami Beef, at its ranch. The restaurant offers a wide selection of delicious wagyu dishes.
This time, we tried making washi at the Paper Museum with Itsuka Nakaishi, a Niimi City resident.
About Oku-Bitchu Kojiro Washi
The Paper Museum is lined with machines and tools used to make washi.
There is also an extensive exhibition about Oku-Bitchu Kojiro washi.
In the past, the process began with gathering the raw plant materials from nearby mountains.
While many washi-producing areas in Okayama Prefecture use only mitsumata (paperbush), Oku-Bitchu Kojiro washi is distinctive in that it is made primarily from kozo (paper mulberry), with mitsumata also used.
Both mitsumata and kozo are deciduous shrubs known for their strong fibers, while mitsumata has particularly fine fibers.
Kozo, on the other hand, has thicker fibers, which can create unexpected and interesting bleeding when a brush is applied to the finished paper.
Oku-Bitchu Kojiro washi is known for its durability and has historically been used for bangasa umbrellas and shoji screens.
Neither kozo nor mitsumata can be made into paper as is. They must go through many processes before they are ready for papermaking.
- Steam the plants and peel off the bark
- Soak in water to soften
- Boil until soft, a process called shajuku
- Remove impurities in a process called chiriyori
- Bleach
- Rinse in water
- Break down into fibers in a process called kokai
- Mix with tororo-aoi, which acts as a binding agent
Other steps include extracting mucilage from the roots of tororo-aoi.
The mucilage in tororo-aoi quickly loses its stickiness in warm temperatures.
For this reason, traditional papermaking takes place during the cold months, from November to March.
Niimi winters are very cold and snowy, and people used to make washi with their bare hands in the icy water during this season.
The materials used for the washi-making experience at the Paper Museum contain only mitsumata, not kozo, making it easier for children to produce paper of an even thickness.
Also, because a chemical thickener is used instead of tororo-aoi, visitors can try making washi throughout the year.
Washi-making experience options
The washi-making experience is available for groups of two or more. Individuals can book two or more courses.
Please make a reservation in advance. We were told that the experience details can be changed on the day.
- 1–15 people: ¥1,500 (tax included; materials charged separately)
- 16 or more people: ¥2,500 (tax included; materials charged separately)
- Hand fan (¥600, tax included)
- Square sheet of paper (¥500, tax included)
- Postcard (¥300, tax included)
You can also decorate each piece with maple leaves and add color. The result will be one of a kind.
Washi-making experience
With guidance from Kiyoka Chuta of Irori Company Co., Ltd., which runs the Paper Museum, we made a hand fan and a postcard from handmade washi.
The experience involves the following steps:
- Making washi
- Decorating and coloring
- Drying with a machine
- Shaping
- Finishing
1. Making washi
The Paper Museum has wooden frames prepared for making hand fans, square sheets of paper, and postcards.
Since a hand fan is made by joining a front and back piece, the frame is designed to make two sheets at once.
Place the wooden frame into the thick liquid mixed with mitsumata fibers, then lift it out so the paper is an even thickness.
We were told that the trick is to scoop from near the top to make a thinner sheet for a hand fan, and to scoop plenty from near the bottom to make a thicker sheet for a postcard.
The water feels cool and silky, which is lovely.
Move the wooden frame up and down, and from side to side, to make the paper an even thickness.
This is an important step that determines how the paper turns out, but there’s no need to feel nervous. At this stage, you can start over as many times as you like.
2. Decorating and adding color
Next, use the samples as a guide and decorate the paper with pressed maple leaves.
Choose your favorites from the maple leaves in various sizes and colors.
Then scoop up liquid dye with a ladle and add color. This is where you can make your creation unique.
You can choose from red, yellow, blue, pink, purple, and green. You can use as many colors as you like.
Nakaishi chose pink, yellow, and green. Some color landed in an unexpected spot, but it all worked out in the end.
Once you’ve finished adding color, lightly coat the surface with a liquid containing paper fibers to keep the maple leaves from floating up.
Chuda did this step for us.
3. Drying with machines
Now it’s time to dry the paper. We used two machines for drying.
First, place the wooden frame on a machine that draws moisture out from underneath.
Move it slowly to dry the entire surface.
The paper is still only partially dry, so carefully remove it from the frame.
It was a tense moment, as I worried the damp washi paper might tear.
The next machine is a flat iron plate. It has a built-in heater and gets hot to the touch, so be careful.
Carefully attach the paper so it doesn’t wrinkle.
Depending on the temperature and humidity, it will dry thoroughly in about 5–10 minutes.
4. Shaping
Once it’s completely dry, use a bamboo stick to scrape it and peel it off with a crackling sound.
It’s stuck on firmly, so peel it off while pulling very gently.
I was amazed by the wonderfully rough texture unique to washi!
For the fan, glue washi to both sides of the frame.
Finally, trim it into shape with scissors.
Leaving the postcard’s fluffy edges gives it a stylish, handmade look.
I wasn’t sure what to do, but this time I trimmed a little off the edges to finish it.
5. Finished
Our original fan and postcard, made from handmade washi, are complete.
Even as a beginner, I was able to give it a try more easily than I expected, with tips along the way.
When making the paper, try to keep an eye on whether its thickness is even.
When we asked Nakaishi, who took part in the experience as our model, about her choices for decorating and adding color, she said, “Since it’s spring, I went with soft, pale colors. It was difficult to blur the colors the way I wanted.”
It’s also fun to imagine how the finished piece will look as you decide which colors to use.
There’s a mailbox at the Paper Museum, so you can mail your postcard there.
This was a papermaking experience that even first-timers can enjoy and complete successfully.
Unlike the introductory experience, traditional washi-making requires considerable skill. As one person put it, “It took so long to learn the techniques that I could make only a few sheets of washi in my first year.”
We spoke with Sarasa Nakada and Shunsuke Tsuchiya of the Jindai Washi Preservation Society, which is working to revive and pass on the washi-making tradition of the Shingo district.
Yumesuki Park Paper Museum details
| Name | Yumesuki Park Paper Museum |
|---|---|
| Location | 1977-1 Shimojindai, Shingo, Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0867-92-6577 |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (papermaking experience until 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Wednesday |
| Admission (tax included) | ◆Experience fee (per group) ・1–15 people: ¥1,500 (materials fee charged separately) ・16 or more people: ¥2,500 (materials fee charged separately) ◆Materials fee (per sheet) ・Hand fan (¥600, tax included) ・Colored paper (¥500, tax included) ・Postcard (¥300, tax included) |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available Experiences require advance reservations. Groups of two or more accepted. For one person, two or more courses must be booked. Experience details can also be changed on the day. |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilets |
| Website | Yumesuki Park | Niimi City Tourist Association |
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