Takenobu Tanino,
Najio gampi-shi paper, indispensable for restoration of national treasures

色褪せず、虫がつかない

泥を入れて漉く和紙――、それが名塩（なじお）雁皮（がんぴ）紙。泥が混ざっているため丈夫で、年月を経ても色褪せず、虫がつかない。
そんなところから、屏風やふすま、障壁、箔打ち紙、かつては藩札などにも用いられ、何にでも間に合うところから「間似合紙（まにあいがみ）」と呼ばれていた。さらに、絵の具を塗れば発色がよく、金箔を貼れば輝きが増す……ということで、江戸時代には尾形光琳らに重んじられ、昭和には日本洋画界の重鎮だった梅原龍三郎も好んで使用したのだとか。
そんな貴重な紙だから、もちろん神社仏閣ご用達の紙でもある。
今回訪ねた谷徳製紙所の谷野武信さんの漉く紙は、二条城・西本願寺・桂離宮・日光や沼津の御用邸などなど、数々の重要文化財の修復に用いられている。いまや、日本の国宝の修復にはなくてはならない紙だとまで言われているのである。

No fading, no bugs

Najio-gampi-shi is Japanese ”washi” paper that is made by mixing mud. Mud makes paper robust, keeps the original color for years, and repels insects.
Najio-gampi-shi has been widely used for varied applications, such as folding screens, papered sliding doors, paper for gold foil making, and paper bills in the Edo Period. It used to be called ”maniai-gami” (handy paper) due to its general-purpose properties. In the Edo Period, Korin Ogata and other artists liked Najio-gampi-shi because colors were beautifully developed on the paper when pigments were applied, and gold foil dazzled on it. During the Showa Era, Ryuzaburo Umehara, the authority in Japanese oil painting, also liked to use the ”washi”.
The precious paper is frequently used by shrines and temples.
The paper produced by Takenobu Tanino at Tanitoku Seishisyo is used for restoring Important Cultural Properties including Nijo Castle, Nishi Hongan-ji, Katsura Imperial Villa and other Imperial villas in Nikko and Numazu. Today, their paper is indispensable for the restoration of National Treasures of Japan.

Production using mud and water of Najio

“Takenobu Tanino was designated as a living national treasure in 2002. There are only two traditional ”washi” making workshops in Najio, which used to be known as the paper making village and called ”najio senken” (meaning a thousand workshops in Najio). The other workshops specialize in the production of paper for foil making. Therefore, Tanino’s workshop is the only one that makes all types of Najio-gampi-shi.

In Najio, you can collect the unique mud of four different colors from the very hard bedrock. Mud is collected and filtered in a cotton bag. Only filtered fine mud is used for making paper, whose color depends on the shade of mud. Mud usually sinks in water. However, the mountain water of Najio helps mix pulp and water evenly.