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GOKAYAMA, Japan: In a world where automation is common for efficient production, there are still industries that rely on manual labour to preserve tradition.
The paper-making tradition has survived for centuries at the World Heritage site of Gokayama in Japan.
Paper dolls are a common sight in homes and souvenir shops in Gokayama in the Toyama Prefecture. In all, about 30 types of paper are made by only six skilled workers who have to handle 13 steps of paper-making.
For centuries, paper mulberry fibres and hollyhocks have been mixed to give paper its durability which is perfect for repairing important cultural properties.
Gokayama paper is said to have been offered to the imperial court. Today, the paper is mainly used as chigiri gami – torn into shapes and sizes to form your own piece of art.
Kyoko Maekawa, a craftswoman who is in charge of chigiri gami, said: "We handle different types of paper to produce a uniform thickness. Having to prepare the same thickness based on our customer's order is difficult."
Since the area was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, the craftsmen have been receiving a lot of orders.
Chubei Murakami, a board member of the Gokayama Tourism Association whose family has lived in the area for 400 years, said: "Regarded as a traditional industry, paper-making is a kind of cultural asset. So it's not so much a business, but rather it's undertaken to preserve the old tradition."
With a union to protect the tradition and three companies running paper-making business in Gokayama, keeping this culture alive with limited manpower seems to be as important as maintaining its famous thatched roof homes.
- CNA/so
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