Subuse is a special rare method of Washi making, inherited by only two workshops in Yoshino. The artisan scoops the fibre solution with the mould and shakes it, then immediately pastes it on a wooden board directly, skipping the paper layering phase. Because many boards are required, and carrying them outside takes much time, this method is at least a two-person job. Usually, the wife is the scooper and the husband is the carrier. So, they say, a Subuse family never has domestic fights. Good partnership is the essence for good paper. Because the paper is not pressed, it becomes very fluffy. The wet raw paper is very delicate and difficult to handle, so high-level technique and experience is required. This is the making method, especially for Misu-gami and Lacquer filter paper. Even though the paper is fluffy, the strength is still very high.
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Process: Nagashi-zuki (Kami-suki #1)
Nagashi-Zuki (流し漉き) is the most commonly-used method of Washi making. It was developed roughly 1,000 years ago. In this method, an artisan shakes the mould (sugeta) intensely. The manner of shaking horizontally and vertically depends on the kind of paper being made. This method is effective for making strong paper, […]
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Process: Subuse (Kami-suki #4)
Subuse is a special rare method of Washi making, inherited by only two workshops in Yoshino. The artisan scoops the fibre solution with the mould and shakes it, then immediately pastes it on a wooden board directly, skipping the paper layering phase. Because many boards are required, and carrying them […]
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Process: Tome-zuki (Kami-suki #3)
Tome-Zuki is the hybrid method of Tame-zuki and Nagashi-zuki, so it is called also Tame-Nagashi-Zuki. ”Tome” means “Keeping” or “Stopping”. The artisan scoops the fibre solution from the vat, then shakes the mould and waits for a while until the material drains. The timing is not strictly defined, and only […]
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Process: Tame-zuki (Kami-suki #2)
Tame-zuki(溜め漉き) is an old-style, slightly rare method of Washi making. It is similar to the papermaking methods used outside of Japan. “Tame” means “Collecting”, and in this case refers to the material, fibre solution. The artisan doesn’t intensely shake the mould (Sugeta). They just scoop the fibre solution from the vat […]
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YO-03 Uekubo Ryoji
Mr Uekubo Ryoji is the last artisan who makes genuine “Misu gami”. It is quite unique, made with “Subuse” way which is the direct pasting from the screen mat to the drying board. The paper is used as the middle layer paper for the Japanese paint backing. It is fluffy […]
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