Mino Washi is a type of Japanese paper made in Gifu Prefecture. Mino is a region of abundant nature and is blessed with the paper mulberry, a tree used to make Japanese paper. Ancient manuscripts in the Shosoin Repository in Nara indicate the history of papermaking as beginning in the Nara period, and Mino Washi was known for its balance of thinness, strength and beauty. Refined and highly-skilled artisan techniques bring out the very best from the raw materials and in the Edo period, it was known as being the finest paper and a favorite of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
In Gifu Prefecture, the Terao region in Seki City is especially famous for papermaking; the quality of paper is largely affected by water quality, so the paper texture differs slightly between production regions. Alongside Terao, other famous areas for high quality Mino Washi are Iwasa, Taniguchi and Makidani. Following on the success of Mino Washi, several handicrafts such as Gifu paper lanterns and umbrellas came to be manufactured in the prefecture.
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| Making of Mino Washi paper |
Mino Washi making presumably began in the Nara period, over 1300 years ago, and it became popular nationwide after the Muromachi period. The Toki Family, provincial military governors of Mino, took many measures to stimulate the local economy; one was to protect the silk-reeling industry, and another to hold the Rokusaiichi, a regular paper market. In response the paper industry grew steadily, and since the Toki Family were versed in culture and art, several of their associates such as court nobles and priests with an eye for quality also took up using Mino Washi. Scholars believe this significantly contributed to Mino Washi becoming popular throughout the nation.
In the Edo period, Mino became an official papermaking region under the national monopoly system defining local specialties. As a result, the Mino papers for the ubiquitous shoji sliding doors established a brand value nationwide. Before the monopoly system, Mino Washi was well-known as a high quality paper, but since then, it became popular among town dwellers and production rapidly expanded, leading to consumers easily associating Mino with shoji paper. With the abolition of the system in around the Meiji Restoration, demand for paper increased even more.
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| Mino Washi lanterns for display |
In wartime, Mino Washi was used not only for daily goods, but also for military items like wadding paper for explosives. After the war, with the importing of petro-chemicals, opportunities for ordinary people to use Mino Washi naturally declined. However, in 1985, Mino Washi was designated as one of the Traditional Crafts by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Craftsmen uphold the traditional handwork skills and still to the present day produce high-quality Mino Washi.
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