Apr 13, 20202 min
Hisako Uchimura is a mentor to apprentices who will carry on the tradition of making Ogawa Washi.
She has generously shared her passion for traditional Ogawa Washi to many. She upholds a strict standard in her own paper making, using only the highest quality materials. Her washi is recognized as one of the finest in Ogawa.
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'Unryu-shi'
It is made by mixing the long fibers of kozo in the papermaking vat.
It is particularly beautiful such as when used on paper-screen doors which allow soft light to filter through from the outside.
Some Unryu-shi is made with dyed long fibers. The top left Unryu-shi has vegetable dyed long fibers.
'Rakusui' Water Drops Washi
When the paper is freshly made and still wet on the mold, dropping water onto the paper would leave thin round marks. When dried, they look like water drops.
Rakusui-shi is also used for paper-screen paper doors like Unryu-shi as well as for lamp shades to let the soft light shine through.
Hosokawa-shi, The Finest of all Ogawa Washi
Hosokawa-shi is a plain, undyed, durable, glossy, and waterresistant paper used by Edo Period merchants for their account books. It is an exemplar of all Ogawa Washi.
In 1978, the Japanese Government recognized the innovative quality of this handmade paper, and the technique to make it was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset.
In 2014, the traditional technique of making Hosokawa-shi was one of 3 washi techniques from Japan that UNESCO added to their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (the other two are Sekishu-banshi from Shimane Prefecture and Hon-mino-shi from Gifu Prefecture).
In order to maintain the unique texture of Hosokawa-shi, only domestic kozo trees are used, and traditional methods and equipment employed in the execution of the nagashi-suki method of sheet forming.
Hisako Uchimura is a mentor to apprentices who will carry on the tradition of making Ogawa Washi.
She has generously shared her passion for traditional Ogawa Washi to many. She upholds a strict standard in her own paper making, using only the highest quality materials. Her washi is recognized as one of the finest in Ogawa.
Most of her paper - Hosokawa-shi and other Ogawa Washi, including dyed Washi, ‘Kogei-shi’, Graduation Certificates, postcards, Japanese traditional style notebooks, Tanzaku paper for Haiku, and such - are made to order.
Biography.
Nov. 9th, 2017 Received a letter of appreciation from the Council of National Important
Intangible Cultural Asset Holder Groups (An organization under the Agency
for Cultural Affairs).
2016 Began teaching 9 trainees.
2015 Took office as the vice-chairperson of the Hosokawa-shi Craftsmen’s Association
2014 Hosokawa-shi is added by UNESCO to the Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
2010 Certified as the Saitama Prefectural Traditional Craftsman
2005 Conducted a Handmade Washi Paper Making Workshop in Hungary.
2002 Established Uchimura Washi Studio
1995-2000 Took the Hosokawa-shi/Ogawa Washi Successors’ Training Course