宇陀紙Uda washi paper

山紫水明の眺めが広がる奈良県吉野郡、国栖と呼ばれる地域では、古くから和紙作りが盛んでした。そのはじまりは、大海人皇子(天武天皇)が壬申の乱(672年)にこの地で挙兵したとき、里人に紙漉きと養蚕を教えたことからと伝えられています。吉野川の清流と峰から吹き下ろす風、この地で採れた楮と白土、まさに風土を漉き込んだきめ細やかで丈夫な手漉和紙は「宇陀紙」と呼ばれ、宝物を守る表具の中でも要となる総裏紙に用いられます。昔ながらの製作工程を厳格に守りながら宇陀紙を作り続ける、福西和紙本舗の六代目福西正行さんにお話を伺いました。

福西さんを訪ねたのは、暮れも押し詰まった大晦日の前々日、楮の収穫の真っ最中でした。「毎年この時期は楮の刈り取りや楮蒸しと皮剥ぎ、それから地元の小学校の卒業証書の準備(※吉野地区では子供達が自分の手で漉いた和紙に校長先生が手書きした卒業証書を渡すのが恒例)にかかりきりで、お正月に皆でどこかに出かけたこともありません。24時間一緒に仕事していますが、喧嘩すると紙に出ますから喧嘩もできません(笑)。宿命とはいえ家族には可哀想やなと思いながら、いつもありがたいなと思っています」。

楮の栽培収穫にはじまり、蒸して皮を剥いだ楮を吉野川の清流で晒し、木灰で煮熟し、地元で採れる白土を細かく擦り潰して混ぜ、漉き舟に入れて攪拌したものに紙を薄く均質に仕上げるためのネリ(ノリウツギという植物を叩いて抽出した粘液)を加えたものが宇陀紙の原料となります。冬はこのネリが強く効くために、寒漉きといって水が冷たい10月から5月にかけて作られます。晴れた冬の日、漉き上がった和紙を一枚一枚板に広げて天日に干し、吉野の峰から吹き下ろす風を当てる風景は国栖地区の風物詩。谷崎潤一郎の『吉野葛』にもその景色が丹念に描かれています。

美しさと機能を備えた宇陀紙は、国内の美術館、博物館はもとより大英博物館やボストン美術館など世界の名だたる博物館からも信頼が厚く、貴重な美術工芸を保存修復する大切な役割を担ってきました。その品質の確かさは科学的にも証明されています。「書や画が描かれている本紙(料紙)が酸性なのに対し、宇陀紙に含まれる白土がアルカリ性なので時が経つにつれて中和され、紙の状態が変わらず永きにわたる保存が可能になります。科学的な根拠もないのに昔の人はそのことを知っていたんですね」。

三代続く選定保存技術保持者であり、伝統技術伝承者協会の副理事長も務める福西さんは制作のみならず後継者の育成や宇陀紙の広報活動にも余念がありません。2年前に会社を辞め、家業を継がれた娘さん夫婦へ七代目へのバトンを繋ぎながら、全国各地に出向いて技術の伝承やワークショップを行う東奔西走の日々。今年は文化庁の後援も得てノリウツギの産地である北海道でも卒業証書を手漉き和紙にする取り組みが始まりました。「紙が私をいろんな場所へ連れて行ってくれる、ありがたいことです。たくさんの方に宇陀紙の良さを知っていただき、実際に使っていただけたらと思います」。

 

– 写真説明 –

写真説明

[Ⅰ]工房に積まれた紙の束には思わず触れたくなる柔らかさと温かみがある。触ると弾き返されるような生命力が紙を通して伝わり、自然の植物が持つ強さとしなやかさを感じる。
[Ⅱ]急な山の斜面での楮の収穫は、寒い日でも汗だくになるほど。4メートルほどもある楮を伐り、束ねて投げ下ろす。
[Ⅲ]天日干しの板に白土が残る。
[Ⅳ]草木染めした和紙の束。アケビ、ねむ、吉野桜、藍…植物の香りたつような気高さと柔らかさのある色合い。
[Ⅴ]この道40 年の福西正行さん。「紙漉きに入ってから30年程経った頃、はじめて先代からええ紙を漉くようになったと言われました。親孝行できると思ったら一年半ぐらいで父が病気になって。怒ってくれるひとがおらんようになったら自分で自分を見守るしかありません。1日200枚漉いて2割ぐらいはまだ思い通りいきませんね。私は不器用でしたが、娘は十年ぐらいでええ紙漉くのと違いますか」と笑う。

In the Kuzu area in Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture, with scenic views of natural beauty, washi paper-making has flourished since ancient times. It is believed to have begun when Emperor Tenmu taught paper-making and sericulture to the villagers while he was in the area raising an army for the Jinshin War (672). The fine-textured, durable handmade washi is called Uda-gami, which is made with the climate of the area: the clear water of the Yoshino River, the wind blowing down from the peaks, and kozo (paper mulberry tree) and white soil from the region. It is used as an all-over backing paper, which is the key material for mounting that protects valuable artefacts. We spoke to Masayuki Fukunishi, the sixth generation of the Fukunishi Washi Honpo, who continues to make Uda-gami by strictly following the traditional production process.

We visited Mr. Fukunishi two days before New Year’s Eve, in the middle of the kozo harvest. “Every year at this time, we are so busy harvesting, steaming and peeling kozo, and preparing the graduation certificates for the local primary school (in the Yoshino area, it is customary that the children receive their graduation certificates handwritten by the headmaster on washi paper made by the children themselves). We never go out anywhere for the New Year season. We, the family, work together all the time, but can’t argue with each other because if we do, it comes out on paper! I feel sorry for my family as they are stuck in this way of living, but I am always thankful for them,” says Mr. Fukunishi.

The process begins with the cultivation and harvesting of kozo, followed by the bleaching of steamed and peeled kozo in the clear water of the Yoshino River and boiling in wood ash. The kozo is then mixed with finely ground local white soil, and placed for stirring in a large container of water for paper-making. Neri (mucilage extracted by beating a plant known as panicled hydrangea) is added here to make the paper thin and homogeneous, which makes the raw material for Uda-gami. Since the neri becomes more effective in winter, the paper is made during the period from October to May, when the water is cold, in a process known as kansuki (cold paper-making). On a clear winter day, each sheet of washi is spread out on a board and dried in the sun, with the wind blowing down from the Yoshino peaks. This scenery, a typical feature of the Kuzu area, is also depicted in detail in Junichiro Tanizaki’s novella Yoshino Kuzu (Yoshino Arrowroot in English).

Uda-gami, with its beauty and functionality, has been trusted not only by museums in Japan, but also by world-renowned museums such as the British Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and has played an important role in the conservation and restoration of valuable arts and crafts. The quality of the paper has been scientifically proven. “While the paper itself on which the calligraphy and paintings are produced is acidic, the white soil within the Uda-gami is alkaline, which neutralises the acidity over time and allows the paper to be preserved for many years without changing its condition. People in the past knew this, even though there was no scientific basis for it”.

Mr. Fukunishi, who is the third generation of his family to hold recognition for Selected Conservation Techniques and is also the vice-chairman of the Association for Successors of Traditional Preservation Techniques, is not only involved in production, but also in the training of successors and publicity activities for Uda-gami. Two years ago, he resigned from his role and passed the baton of the paper-making family business to his daughter and her husband, while travelling around the country to pass on skills and conduct workshops. This year, with the support of the government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, an initiative to make handmade washi graduation certificates in Hokkaido where panicled hydrangea is grown, has also begun. “Paper takes me to all sorts of places, for which I am grateful. I hope that many people will discover the qualities of Uda-gami and actually use it”.

 

– photo explanation –

[Ⅰ]The bundles of paper piled up in the workshop have a softness and warmth that makes you want to touch them. The vitality of the paper, which seems to bounce back when touched, can be felt through the paper, giving it the strength and suppleness of a natural plant.
[Ⅱ]Harvesting kozo on steep mountain slopes makes one sweat even on cold days. Four-metre-long kozo are cut down, bundled and thrown down.
[Ⅲ]White soil remains on sun-drying boards.
[Ⅳ]Bundles of plant-dyed washiAkebi (commonly known as chocolate vine), nemu (Persian silk tree), Yoshino cherry blossom, indigo and more. Noble and soft colours give a sense of the fragrance of the plants.
[Ⅴ]Masayuki Fukunishi has been working in the washi making field for 40 years. “About 30 years after I started making paper, my predecessor told me for the first time that I had started making good paper. I thought I could finally return something to my parents, but after about a year and a half, my father became ill. When there is no one to scold you, you have to look after yourself. I make 200 sheets a day and about 20% of them still don’t turn out the way I want them to. I was clumsy, but I think my daughter will be making good paper in about ten years,” he laughs.

 

 

Photography by Tomoko Hayashi
Text by Tomomi Takezoe
Translation :Naoko Mabon (WAGON)

福西和紙本舗 Fukunishi Washi Honpo

〒639-3432 奈良県吉野郡吉野町窪垣内218-1 218-1 Kubogaito, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara 639-3432 JAPAN

0746-36-6513

Website: http://fukunishiwashihonpo.com

E-mail: fukutora@kcn.jp