Paper Forged in Winter’s Silence

Nov 29, 2025

「EP.93」内山紙

UCHIYAMA-GAMI
Nagano Prefecture

「transcript」

In the 1600s, Hagiwara Kiuemon (萩原喜右衛門) brought papermaking skills from Mino (美濃) to Nagano, where kozo (楮) grew abundantly. The local families here needed an income source during the harsh winters, and began making washi using these techniques. Soon, the Uchiyama‑gami stood out for its strength, breathability, and natural whiteness.

That whiteness comes from yuki‑sarashi (雪さらし), or snow‑bleaching. After preparing the kozo bark, artisans spread it across fresh snow, where melting releases natural ozone that gently whitens the fibers without chemicals, producing paper that stays soft, tough, and resistant to yellowing.

The process remains demanding: steaming and stripping kozo, freezing and bleaching it in snow, softening, beating, and finally mixing it with tororo‑aoi (トロロアオイ) before the most skilled step, nagashi‑suki (流し漉き), where the screen is moved in steady rhythm to form perfectly even sheets.

Today, only a few makers keep this tradition alive. Uchiyama‑gami continues to shine in shoji, calligraphy, lighting design, and even on giant festival kites in Niigata.

From snowfields to shoji screens, Uchiyama‑gami is a craft shaped by nature and the hands that endure its winters.

*The assets featured here are the work of their rightful creators, credited below