The Maker Speaks
Shiroishi-washi
Has Been Produced in Shiroishi, Miyagi
Has Been Produced in Shiroishi, Miyagi
Hello, everyone. Today I'm talking about Shiroishi-washi (Shiroishi Paper) produced in Shiroishi, Miyagi.
What is Shiroishi-washi? It is a kind of Japanese paper made of kajinoki (paper mulberry). It is said kajinoki is regarded as a holy tree in Shinto. The fibers are long and strong. Shiroishi-washi is, therefore, full of perseverance.
Shiroishi city
File: Shiroishi City.JPG
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on April 28, 2009）
In history, the paper first appeared in Edo era. Same as other washi, it was also on the decrease in Taisho era for diffusion of western paper. Then, a young man said we had to keep Shiroishi-washi from the annihilation. He was Endo Tadao (18 years old in 1931). He began to produce the paper alone.
He passed away in 1997. So did the paper also go? No, his wife Mashiko took it over. However, there is no an ageless man in the world, as you know. She shut down the workshop in 2015. There was no another workshop producing Shiroishi-washi. Today a citizen group has kept producing it somehow.
The Shiroishi-washi Envelope
File: Shiroishi washi envelope.jpg
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on March 29, 2013）
What is the value of Shiroishi-washi? Nobody can define. We don't have any measures for traditional (cultural) ones. By your own measures, you define for yourselves.
What is Shiroishi-washi? It is a kind of Japanese paper made of kajinoki (paper mulberry). It is said kajinoki is regarded as a holy tree in Shinto. The fibers are long and strong. Shiroishi-washi is, therefore, full of perseverance.
Shiroishi city
File: Shiroishi City.JPG
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on April 28, 2009）
In history, the paper first appeared in Edo era. Same as other washi, it was also on the decrease in Taisho era for diffusion of western paper. Then, a young man said we had to keep Shiroishi-washi from the annihilation. He was Endo Tadao (18 years old in 1931). He began to produce the paper alone.
He passed away in 1997. So did the paper also go? No, his wife Mashiko took it over. However, there is no an ageless man in the world, as you know. She shut down the workshop in 2015. There was no another workshop producing Shiroishi-washi. Today a citizen group has kept producing it somehow.
The Shiroishi-washi Envelope
File: Shiroishi washi envelope.jpg
from the Japanese Wikipedia
（Photoed on March 29, 2013）
What is the value of Shiroishi-washi? Nobody can define. We don't have any measures for traditional (cultural) ones. By your own measures, you define for yourselves.
