The 'Three Whites' of Shiroishi
Washi, Japanese paper
Guest edited by Eleanor Burkett
“Even against the glittering snow of Mount Zao, how white is the pure paper of Shiroishi” ––Papermaking song by Tadao Endo
Handmade Japanese paper, washi, speaks of the rhythm of the seasons, the water, the geography, and the history of an area. It is formed through a combination of natural factors and bears the imprint of processes which have remained largely unchanged over the years. A papermaking industry developed as the winter occupation of the farming community and thrived during the Edo period (1603-1868). As well as within traditional architecture, washi was used for umbrellas, fans, lanterns, calligraphy, and woodblock printing; it was twisted into a cord, moulded and lacquered to make hats and boxes, and used as material for garments. Although lifestyles have changed and papermaking is declining rapidly, washi continues to be respected and valued and is central to an appreciation of Japanese culture.
Image above: Cut paper from Shiroishi Photo © Kazuko Sato.
The area known today as the Tohoku region was named Michinoku in the mid-seventh century, translating literally to “the end of the road” or, more poetically, the “deep north.” Michinoku-gami, paper from Michinoku, was prized for its softness, strength, and beauty. Shiroishi, a small city at the foot of Mt. Zao, located about 30 km from Fukushima, was once renowned as a centre for this high-quality paper. Washi, along with umen noodles and kuzu starch, were known as “The Three Whites” of Shiroishi, and the production of shifu and kamiko from Shiroishi washi is the focus for this piece.
Shiroishi is an area with a plentiful supply of clear mountain streams. It has suitable land for growing a local kozo with soft, long fibres. Moreover, the snowy climate with clear, sunny days in winter is ideally suited to drying paper and bleaching kozo’s inner bark.
Kamiko refers to a paper garment or unwoven cloth made from treated and crumpled paper sheets. Kamiko garments have long been associated with Buddhism, having been adopted by Buddhist monks from the mid-Heian period in keeping with a plain and ascetic lifestyle. The simplicity and practicality of Kimiko were appreciated by samurai, actors, and priests, including the haiku poet Basho. Kamiko goods were accessible and widely used by ordinary people throughout the Edo Period.
Shifu is woven paper cloth. It is made from paper warp and weft, or paper weft combined with a cotton or silk warp. Farmers' wives produced shifu using recycled paper in areas that were too cold to cultivate cotton or wear hemp in winter. To make thread for shifu, very thin washi is folded in such a way as to retain a margin top and bottom; the paper is cut into regular strips, rubbed and rolled on a stone, then torn alternately at the margin edge to produce a continuous paper thread. This is further twisted on a spinning wheel to make it strong enough to be woven into cloth. Fifty sheets of paper are needed to make a kimono, double if both warp and weft are made from paper.
Towards the end of the Edo period, in times of peace, the production of shifu became the side job of the samurai families of the Katakura clan of Shiroishi. They made fine shifu for the Daimyo to give as gifts on their alternate year’s residence in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), enabling Shiroishi paper textiles to gain widespread acclaim.
The end of feudalism in 1868 and rapid modernisation signalled the decline of shifu production in Shiroishi. Still, through the efforts of three men, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, shifu had a short revival. Nobumitsu Katakura, historian and descendant of the Katakura family; Chutaro Sato, former kimono wholesaler; and Tadao Endo, papermaker, revived the traditions of the past by gathering old samples and documenting and replicating the fine shifu of the samurai class. Although the revival of shifu did not last long, in the1940s, Chutaro managed to revive kamiko, inventing new methods of producing kamiko designs, which continue in Shioishi to this day.
Image: Cut paper from Shiroishi Photo © Kazuko Sato.
Tadao Endo’s washi was key to the revival of shifu and kamiko. Endo is the eighth generation of a line of papermakers, and upon taking over his father’s “modernised” papermaking business, he reverted to traditional methods without mechanisation or the use of chemicals. Momi-gami, crumpled paper, could often be seen hanging up like washing outside his house. Maybe these sheets were for the annual Omizutori, sacred water drawing festival, at Todaiji in Nara when novice Buddhist monks fashion undyed white kamiko to wear during a period of meditation or for the late fashion designer Issey Miyake, who used Endo’s paper for his Spirit of Tohoku collection of 1982. Making paper was Endo's way of life. He was in harmony with nature, and his feelings and character were transmitted to the paper through the repeated rhythms of the process. Holding up a dry sheet of paper, he could recognise, as through handwriting, who the maker was.
Image: Kazuko Sato demonstrating how to make continuous paper threadPhoto: Sam Derby-Cooper
Today Kazuko Sato, Chutaro’s daughter-in-law, says she can only make fine shifu with Endo’s paper, and she weaves with skeins of paper thread from the revival of the 1940s. An informal summer kimono, jinbei, Kazuko made for her husband in 1974 speaks of the simple beauty of natural shifu and the allure of Endo’s paper. Methods of making the paper textiles of the past were often well-guarded secrets. Still, Sato is re-writing Chutaro’s research materials using terms and equipment that the modern weaver will be familiar with to share more widely.
Image: Kazuko Sato showing paper prior to separating into continous thread
In June 2024, Kazuko Sato travelled to the UK for the first time to lecture for the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) at the British Museum. She met textile enthusiasts and curators and examined a bolt of Shiroishi shifu acquired in 1885 at Kew Gardens Economic Botany Collection. She has replicated fine crepe shifu, chirimen-jifu, like this and has just woven shifu work clothes for the enthusiasts working hard to keep papermaking alive in Shiroishi.
Lead image: Shifu production at the time of the revival c1941-1944 Photo ©Shiroishi Heritage Board