Our
selection of natural Japanese papers for artists and conservators
is the widest available in the world. It is the accumulation of
30 years of seeking quality Japanese papers of many sizes and weights
at fair value. For many years we have been searching for a means
to get these fine papers online in a way that allows you to sense
clearly the characteristics of each one.
Stay tuned! By the end of January, you'll be able to see in this
space a broad selection of our natural papers of all grades. Each
paper will show you how absorbent, translucent, and textured it
is when marked with a variety of mediums as in the example to the
left.
We are excited to share this visual information with you to help you select
the most appropriate paper for your use. Please visit this section again late
in January 2010.
Kiraku Kozo. Click on image to see larger
version.
What makes Japanese paper different from others?
Japanese paper has been made, continuously improved and the range extended for almost 1500 years. It is both the range and the quality resulting from this long history that has given Japanese paper its reputation for excellence. As a result, this refinement of technique gives the user of Japanese paper tremendous flexibility in how it is used.
Depending on your use of the paper, there are 4 qualities to consider when choosing Japanese paper:
Absorbency. How readily does the paper absorb the moisture of paints, inks or adhesive?
Translucence. To what extent can light pass through it, or a second layer be visible underneath?
Texture. How much texture is visible within the paper and how much texture is there on the surface which will affect the medium used with it?
Strength. How difficult is the paper to tear and how long does it maintain its strength when wet?
To help you through the task of choosing, we will tell you on a scale of 1 to 5 how absorbent, translucent, textural and strong each paper is, with 1 as the lowest and 5 as the highest.
Economical Machine-made Natural Papers
Name
Size
Wt
Content
Characteristics
Appearance (click on each for an 8.5x11" view on graduated black-to-white background)
