Jump to content

Japanese tissue

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Akerstie (talk | contribs) at 12:37, 9 June 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Definition

Japanese tissue is a thin, strong paper made from the kozo plant, otherwise known as the paper mulberry. Kozo is one of the three plants used in the making of Japanese paper, the other two being mitsumata and gampi. Kozo plants yield long fibers that help to make Japanese tissue paper very strong. This strength, combined with the length of the fibers, makes it an ideal paper to use when mending books.

The kozo plant is used in the manufacture of the following papers:

  • goyu - 90 percent kozo, this paper is used mainly for printing and for the hinges of mounting paper materials.
  • hosokawa ohban - 100 percent kozo, this is heavier than other Japanese papers and is used as a backing for documents and maps.
  • kaji - 100 percent kozo, this lightweight paper is used for conservation processes.
  • kizukushi - 100 percent kozo, this paper is used for mending.
  • misu - 100 percent kozo, this paper is used in conservation processes.
  • okawara - 100 percent kozo, this paper is also used in conservation.
  • sekishu - 80 percent kozo, this paper is used for printing and in conservation.
  • sekishu kozogami mare - 100 percent kozo, used in mending.
  • sekishu kozogami turu - 100 percent kozo, used for all types of mending.
  • udagami - 100 percent kozo, this opaque paper is used for mending artworks on paper.

Paper called kitakata, made from the mitsumata plant, also can be used in the mending of older books and documents.

Paper called sekishu torinoko gampi is made from the gampi plant and can also be used in conservation, for the repair of artworks on paper.

How it is Made

Japanese tissue paper is a hand-made paper. The inner bark of the kozo plant is harvested in the fall and spring, with material from the fall harvest being considered better quality. Bundles of kozo sticks are steamed in a cauldron and then stripped of their bark and hung in the sun to dry. (to be continued)

Japanese paper

How it is Used

Japanese tissue is used in the conservation of books and manuscripts. The tissue comes in varying thicknesses and colors, and is used for a variety of mending tasks, including repairing tears, mending book hinges, and reinforcing the folds of signatures (the groups of pages gathered and folded together at the spine) or for reinforcement of an entire sheet through backing.

Citations

(coming soon)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_tissue&oldid=137028504"