On this day, I visited Nakahara Shoten with Tottori-born designer Yoshikazu Yamagata, a shop whose four generations have been involved in the production of "Inshu washi," a specialty of eastern Tottori Prefecture. Yamagata, who showcased creations using Tottori materials in his 2016-17 Autumn/Winter collection, commissioned Nakahara Shoten to produce an item for the show.

Aoya Town, the home of Inshu washi, is located about 25 kilometers east of Tottori Station. Nakahara Shoten continues to produce washi paper in this indigenous area, an essential part of Tottori craftsmanship. It is run by traditional craftsmen Tsuyoshi Nakahara and his son Kanji. Inshu washi, produced in this area, accounts for approximately 60% to 70% of the paper used in calligraphy and watercolor paintings nationwide, due to its excellent brushability, so its quality is guaranteed.

When I visited Nakahara Shoten with Yamagata, Nakahara took out a hat made from washi paper from the back. When Yamagata saw the finished product, he simply said, "It's wonderful." Apparently, Nakahara had used the felt hat Yamagata had sent him as a model to create a mold out of styrofoam, then layered handmade washi paper on top of it and let it dry, repeating this process to create the washi hat. Nakahara made improvements with each washi hat he made, and on this day he had completed several prototypes. With the hat in hand, Yamagata and Nakahara exchanged ideas about whether the brim could be made wider and the silhouette of the hat, and the meeting for the day came to an end.



When asked about his enthusiasm for this project, Kanji said, "It's fun for us to be able to create washi in a way that's different from our livelihood." He also said that being flexible in responding to new challenges is what brings joy to the artisans, and added, "Tradition and tradition are different. Tradition is passing on old ways as they are, while tradition is passing on by adding new elements."

And here are the Inshu washi hats shown at the show.





At Nakahara Shoten, they grow and harvest the trees that are used to make washi paper themselves, located behind their workshop. To obtain high-quality raw materials, they carefully pick the buds of the trees, resulting in straight, easily processed paper mulberry trees. The bark is slowly and carefully boiled with alkali to remove impurities, and then exposed to clear water to enhance its whiteness. After several days of bleaching, the fibers are further hand-removed from the dust. The process then moves on to the papermaking process, a process that truly requires patience and physical strength.







--We visit Inshu Nakaigama, where dignified vessels featuring a blend of green, white, and black are produced.