Pressing business paper

Having let the paper post sit under boards with lightish weight overnight then next step was to put it in the big gun press

Big hydraulic paper press at Awagami Paper Factory

Once the water has finally been slowly squeezed out its time to separate the sheets and brush them onto drying boards and then into the drying room to dry

Flicking out a sheet onto the drying board

brushing down onto the board


what do you do while you are waiting fro paper to dry
take some dry paper and dye it (make it wet again!)

Mrs Fujimorisan shows us the way Orizome method

Shibori method
with real Indigo, which is quite smelly but worth it
for the lovely colour

Only limited by your folding technique and dye supply

washing the indigo dyed paper

using our hands to work the dye into the paper  

Of course you could always make a
book using your
paper for the leave and your dyed paper
 for the covers
Sensei demonstrates

Japanese style Binding with Orizome covers

Food- keeping the papermakers fuelled

sharing a breakfast with papermakers from around the world

As usual I can't resist a few food photos and given the beauty of the plating and the oishi of the food............

dinner 1

breakfast 1

detail

desert always oishi

detail

dinner 2

another breakfast

and this is just a few of the wonderful meals we had at the Aburaya hotel whilst at the Awagami Paper workshop

Forming the Sheets of Kozo at last

Time so start and emulate Mr Fujimorisan to the best of our abilities.
Compared to my Western style paper making practice there are  few things to learn, the balance of pulp to neri, the substance that helps all the fibres separate and then line up with the shaking and rocking of the suketa ( Japanese mould and deckle)
There are 3 layers in forming a sheet of Japanese paper- even in the thinest sheets.
Transferring the sheets is from the Su straight onto the post with only a ribbon to help you separate them after pressing.

Arris my partner in paper making scooping up 

Take overseeing my sheet forming

everyone gets going Sensai overseeing the finer points

the post with its pretty ribbons

mixing the pulp after adding new fibre and neri

Shikoku and Awagami, let the paper making begin

The Tokyo to Tokushima flight was a treat, a window seat, not much cloud and lowish flying made for some good views of Japan. So much green, such tall mountains and deep gorges, loads of water; salty and fresh and so many golf courses!

                                                      Slow train ride up the valley to  the hotel 

where everyone who is participating in the workshop is staying. Lucky me got a traditional Japanese room, futon, tatami mats shoji screens and  of course traditional Japanese bathroom - onsen style. If the first dinner is anything to go by then Im definitely in for a treat.

Japan from the air.  Traditional room at the Aburaya inn Some of the dishes  from dinner

Next morning it was a leisurely start after breakfast off to Awagami in the mini bus, everyone is very excited

ready to strip

Orientation and meeting the Awagami crew, then we begin with the Kozo bark learning how to strip it, clean it and prepare it for cooking. Three hours later we have all almost cleaned half a kilo each. Everyone had decided that what we thought was an expensive price for kozo paper  is actually quite cheap, and we are all definitely ready for dinner and the Craigs lecture on Washi

stripping Kozo

stripped and ready to cook

one of the dinner dishes