Gampi Paper Pack - Double-Sided Grade B Quality 10 (8.5"x11")

DA1312

Gampi Paper Pack, Double-Sided Sheets for versatility

10 pieces authentic Japanese paper 8.5" x 11" 75gsm Weight

Made from renewable plant fibres these papers are strong, beautiful and versatile and perfect for smaller works on paper in pencil, graphite, inks and watercolour paints.

B Grade paper are good papers rather than Grade A which are rated excellent.  A Grade C paper would be classed as Student quality.

50% to 100% traditional imported fibres

Grade B Quality

Pack of 10 sheets

8.5" x 11"

The inner barks of three plants — kozo, mitsumata and gampi — all native to Japan, are used primarily in the making washi.

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Curious about Chiyogami (Yuzen)? Find answers to your frequently asked questions about these gorgeous hand-silkscreened papers.

Washi is the Japanese word for the traditional papers made from the long inner fibres of three plants, wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper. As Japan rushes with the rest of the world into the 21st Century, and more modern technologies take over, machines produce similar-looking papers which have qualities very different from authentic washi. As of the fall of 2008, there remained fewer than 350 families still engaged in the production of paper by hand.

• History

•Raw Materials

•Methods of Production

•Features of Washi

•Uses for Washi

This handmade paper, Kozo Tissue Sasa, uses long kozo fibre for decorative effect.

Durable and valuable, traditionally washi was used again and again. Here old accounting books have been repurposed into paper floor mats.

Durable and valuable, traditionally washi was used again and again. Here old accounting books have been repurposed into paper floor mats.

HISTORY

Though paper was originally made in China in the first century, the art was brought to Japan in 610 AD by Buddhist monks who produced it for writing sutras.

By the year 800, Japan's skill in papermaking was unrivalled, and from these ancient beginnings have come papers unbelievable in their range of colour, texture and design.

It was not until the 13th century that knowledge of papermaking reached Europe - 600 years after the Japanese had begun to produce it.

By the late 1800's, there were in Japan more than 100,000 families making paper by hand. Then with the introduction from Europe of mechanized papermaking technology and as things "Western" became sought after including curtains (not shoji) and French printmaking papers (not kozo), production declined until by 1983 only 479 papermaking families were left. Today the few remaining families struggle to compete in the world market with handmade papers from India, Thailand and Nepal, where a lower cost of living makes it possible to produce papers more cheaply.

RAW MATERIALS

The inner barks of three plants — kozo, mitsumata and gampi — all native to Japan, are used primarily in the making washi.

Kozo (paper mulberry) is said to be the masculine element, the protector, thick and strong. It is the most widely used fibre, and the strongest. It is grown as a farm crop, and regenerates annually, so no forests are depleted in the process.

Mitsumata is the "feminine element": graceful, delicate, soft and modest. Mitsumata takes longer to grow and is thus a more expensive paper. It is indigenous to Japan and is also grown as a crop.

Gampi was the earliest and is considered to be the noblest fibre, noted for its richness, dignity and longevity. It has an exquisite natural sheen, and is often made into very thin tissues used in book conservation and chine-collé printmaking. Gampi has a natural 'sized' finish which does not bleed when written or painted on.