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Kansai's handmade
washi villages
A road symbolizing the history and tradirions of Echizen washi Washi no Sato Kaikan Address: 11-12 Shin-zaike, Imadate Town, Imadate-gun, Fukui Prefecture TEL:0778-42-0016 |
Learning all about Echizen washi through experience A local legend tells that, 1,500 years ago, a beautiful princess unexpectedly descended upon a village (now Imadate-cho) on the Okamoto river and taught the villagers her washi-making technique. This princess, Kawakami-gozen, turned out to be the goddess of paper, and with her visit she founded Echizen's washi industry. One birthplace of paper-making in Japan, Echizen Imadate today still actively carries on the traditions. To preserve and transmit this history, Washi no Sato Dori, a promenade symbolizing Imadate-cho's traditional washi-making industry, was built as part of the town's redevelopment. This attractive stone-paved street, where trees and a gentle stream create a relaxing natural atmosphere, connects the Washi no Sato Kaikan, a museum focusing on Echizen washi, with the Papyrus Kan, where visitors can actually make washi themselves. Along the street are the Udatsu no Kogeikan, a museum in which the Echizen technique is demonstrated by professional washi-makers, and souvenir shops. The promenade also features an amusing "music bench," which when sat on plays music and starts a fountain, a pond with colorful carp, and other relaxing attractions for sightseers.
Exhibition of historic documents and washi-making tools. The Washi no Sato Kaikan exhibition hall of historical documents houses a diverse collection of valuable exhibits including pleces of antique washi telling of Echizen washi's long history, ancient documents, paper-making tools, and raw materials as well as display panels depicting the washi-making process. Because Echizen is the home of paper maney, special exhibits include Japan's first hansatsu (official paper maney used exclusively within a fief) issued by the Fukui clan during the Edo period, and dajokan-kinsatsu, Japan's first nationally used currency notes issued by the Meiji government. Exceptionally impressive are the huge Okadaishi, a sheet of paper measuring 5.1 meters square for large-scale painting and produced at the request of YOKOYAMA Taikan, a prominent Japanese-style painter, and the gigantic Imadate Heisei Daishi, the world's largest sheet of hand-made paper, which measures 7.1 meters by 4.3 meters. The museum also sells a broad range of washi products representing the modern Echizen washi. From 1,500 years of washi-making to the future
Used for paper-making demonstrations, the Udatsu no Kogeikan building is a typical washi-maker's house. Its name derives from its unique roof structure, called udatsu yane (udatsu roof). Here, professional washi-makers using traditional tools demonstrate the paper-making process for visitors. On the second floor is an excellent exhibition of selections from the Imadate Exhibition of Contemporary Paper Art Works, which is officially sponsored by the Imadate-cho town office to promote washi among the general public. The Papyrus Kan provides visitors with the opportunity to make their own paper. With instructors on hand for every step of the process, even beginners find it an enjoyable experience. Participants are offered the choice of making a shikishi poetry card, postcard, or coaster, and the process includes placing a pressed flower on top of the wet washi, adding colors, sprinkling on gold or silver powder, and quick drying. In less than an hour, each participant is able to produce an original piece of washi art to take home. These three facilities each use different approaches to show visitors the many charming aspects of Echizen washi. In future, additional tourist attractions are to be developed to further increase the popularity of Echizen washi and its 1,500-year-old home. |
| All images Copyright. 1997
Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office. All Rights Reserved. |