The materials for washi have great varieties.
This section introduces the essential materials for making echizen washi.

Kozo / Paper Mulberry Kouzo
Broussonetia kazinoki × B. papyrifera

Kozo is a low growth deciduous tree in the mulberry family.
The bast fibers are used to make paper.
The length of the fibers is about 6-15 mm, longer than mitsumata, gampi and wood pulp. The fibers intertwine well with each other, resulting in a strong paper.
The width of fibers is narrower than those of hemp and wood pulp, but widr than those of mitsumata and gampi.
It has been the most widely used raw material for washi since the Nara period, and has a wide range of applications.

Mitsumata Mitsumata
Edgeworthia chrysantha

Mitsumata is a low growth deciduous tree in the daphne family.
The bast fibers are used to make paper.
The length of the fibers is about 3-4 mm.
The fiber is supple and fine compared to kozo, and its length and width have many similarities to gampi fibers.
Papers made from mitsumata are dense and used for calligraphy and drawing. It’s glossy and also often used for sliding doors (fusuma).
It is useful as a raw material for the banknotes of Japan because of its excellent printability.

Gampi Ganpi
Diplomorpha sikokiana

Gampi is a low growth deciduous tree in the daphne family.
The bast fibers are used to make paper.
The length of the fibers is about 4-5 mm.
It’s difficult to cultivate, so wild plants are mainly used.
The fibers are flat and the paper is dense and very glossy. It's suitable for calligraphy and engravings that require delicate expression.
Papers made from gampi were praised as the “king of paper” in the Edo era and even now it is a heavily used, high quality paper.

Asa / Hemp Asa
Cannabis sativa L.

“Hemp” is the generic name for ramie or linen. It was the main raw material when papermaking was introduced into Japan.
The bast fibers are used to make paper.
Today, it is rarely used as a main material, but often blended as an auxiliary material.
In Echizen, it is used in paper for Japanese paintings.

Manila Asa / Manila Hemp Manila-Asa
Musa textilis

Manila hemp is a perennial plant in the basho family.
The leaf sheaths are used to make paper.
The length of fibers is about 5 mm.
The length and width of fibers are similar to kozo and mitsumata. Abaca is used a substitute material or an auxiliary material.
By adjusting the amount of time the fibers are beaten, the texture of the paper can range from soft like kozo paper or supple like mitsumata paper.

Wood pulp Pulp

Wood pulp is fibers from the woody part of a conifer or a broadleaf tree.
The length of the fibers is about 2-5 mm.
Wood pulp is cheaper than bast fibers and suited for mass production. It uses as main material or an auxiliary material for machine-made paper. Sometimes it is also used for handmade paper.

Tororo Aoi / Aibika Troroaoi
Abelmoschus manihot

Tororo aoi is an annually-harvested plant in the mallow family.
A viscous liquid is extracted from its roots and used as “neri.”
Neri is an supplementary material and it is indispensable for papermaking. Water, pulp, and neri are mixed into the papermaking vat. The paper pulp is dispersed and floats uniformly in the vat because of the effect of neri. It helps the fibers to intertwine when making paper.

Noriutsugi /Panicled hydrangea Noriutsugi
Hydrangea paniculata

Nori utsugi is a low growth deciduous tree in the hydrangea family.
The bark contains mucus and it is used as “neri” along with tororo aoi.
It can be used stably in the summer months because it is not as affected by temperature as tororo aoi.