Kyoto Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property "Kurotani Washi" x Japan's oldest Japanese umbrella shop "Tsujikura"
Kurotani Town, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a mountain village surrounded by mountains and with the clear waters of the Kurotani River flowing through it.
I visited Kurotani Washi no Sato with the desire to make a Japanese umbrella using washi paper that has been around in Kyoto for a long time.
As you walk along the river, you can hear the sounds of cotton being cut and washi paper being made. It is said that about 800 years ago, defeated warriors of the Heike clan fled from their pursuers and hid in the mountains, where they began making paper to make a living, and the area flourished as a papermaking village.
Kurotani washi paper is made from high-quality paper mulberry and is made entirely by hand, from processing the raw materials to processing.
In particular, the papermaking process is done by hand, with each sheet being carefully made by hand by artisans who have inherited the traditions.
Strong, durable and long-lasting, Kurotani washi paper was designated an intangible cultural asset of Kyoto Prefecture in 1983. The beauty of Kurotani washi paper is beyond imagination, but the craftsman knows the rigors of the manufacturing process, and yet he continues to protect and nurture Kurotani washi paper. This sense of mission overlaps with Tsujikura's feelings about Japanese umbrellas, and a collaboration between Kurotani washi paper and Kyoto Wagasa-ya Tsujikura was realized.
After receiving the handmade Japanese paper from Kurotani, the Tsujikura craftsmen will make it into a Japanese umbrella. Since most of the work involved in making a Japanese umbrella is done by hand, it takes a long time to complete.
Among the many processes, the "stretching" process, in which the Japanese paper is stretched over the framework, is one of the most important processes in creating the shape of a Japanese umbrella. Different pieces of paper are stretched over the framework of the umbrella, and although these processes cannot be seen from the outside, they are extremely important for the umbrella to open and close normally.
"We want to protect the traditions and culture that have been passed down since ancient times in Japan and pass them on to future generations." This is the desire of the "Washi paper craftsmen" and "Wagasa umbrella craftsmen" who work hard every day to create their products.
Combining two traditional crafts, and going through many processes, Kurotani washi paper is used to create beautiful and authentic Japanese umbrellas. We offer the finest products from the collaboration between "Kyoto Kurotani Washi" and "Kyoto Wagasa-ya Tsujikura."
