Ozu washi paper

The Oda River begins in Uchiko’s Oda district and runs into the Hiji River as a tributary. Before the end of the Taisho period, riverboats used it as a water route, and Ozu washi from Ikazaki moved downstream with other loads. Hand papermaking needs large amounts of water; in this district, river water and groundwater support fiber soaking, washing, paper-stock mixing, wet-sheet handling, and the work before each sheet dries.

Ozu hanshi is kozo-based calligraphy-style paper. Around it, the Ozu washi name also gathers shoji paper, hosho, umbrella paper, lantern paper, bookbinding paper, art paper, calligraphy paper, and kite paper. The range carries the paper from writing desks to sliding screens, lamps, book covers, art work, and wind-loaded kites.

Heian-period writings mention paper from Iyo and Kita District, and the Tenryaku 4 entry gives paper quantities for Kita District. In the Edo period, papermaking became organized work under the Ozu domain: Okazaki Jirozaemon made paper for domain use, Echizen-related instruction spread in the Genroku years, and paper offices and kozo offices handled production and material control.

The material range for Ozu washi includes kozo, mitsumata, ganpi, hemp, and straw. In the vat, these fibers meet neri made from tororoaoi or noriutsugi. A papermaker sets a bamboo or kaya screen in a frame and forms sheets by nagashizuki, moving the sugeta forward and back so the fibers interlace and the thickness can be adjusted. Evenness comes from water, plant fiber, viscous neri, the screen, and repeated hand movement.

Work begins with raw kozo, mitsumata, or ganpi soaked in tanks for several days, then boiled for two to three hours. After washing, the fiber is water- and sun-bleached for about a week, and remaining dark fibers or small debris are removed by hand. Beating opens the fiber into a papermaking state; stock and neri are mixed in the vat, sheets are formed, stacked, pressed, dried one by one on boards or heated metal plates, then sorted and cut.

Ozu washi has quiet indoor uses and a loud outdoor test. Calligraphy paper receives ink at the desk, shoji paper softens room light, and mounting paper, bookbinding paper, art paper, chigiri-e, and etegami use handmade fiber, torn edges, and layered color. At Ikazaki’s May 5 giant kite battle, large kites use Ozu washi because the paper surface must withstand strong wind pressure.

In the Meiji period, Ikazaki had more than 400 hand-papermaking households and side-work papermakers. The number fell sharply in the Showa period, and by 2022 only a few workshops remained in Ikazaki and the former Ozu domain area, with succession a practical concern. A contemporary Ikazaki branch applies metal leaf to Ozu washi for wallpaper, lamp shades, framed works, and hotel interiors, moving sheets from the vat onto walls and into light.