Gekkoso's washi letter paper is made from Mino washi paper, one of Japan's three major types of washi paper and boasts a history of 1,300 years.
Washi paper, which values "bleeding," is made by incorporating natural plant fibers into the paper during the filtering process, which makes it strong and durable, and it also has an elegant charm that is different from Western paper.
The traditional Japanese "handmade" paper has been improved by incorporating various modern techniques to create "paper that is easy to write on using traditional methods," and just like "handmade" paper, it continues to produce beautiful, strong paper that takes advantage of the luster and texture of natural ingredients.
Gekkoso's washi letter paper, made from Mino washi paper, comes in three convenient types: vertical writing, horizontal writing, and manuscript paper-like grid pattern.
The sturdy, double-layered washi envelopes are carefully hand-pasted one by one, and where the stamp would be affixed is inscribed with a stone seal by stamp artist Kakinojin with the words of Yosano Akiko's tanka poem, from which Gekkoso's name is derived: "From within the moon in the sky, you have come, shining even daytime and night."
How washi paper is made
1. Harvesting: The raw material, paper mulberry, is harvested around the winter solstice.
2. Steaming: Steaming the raw material, kozo.
3. Bark removal: The bark of the steamed paper mulberry is quickly removed while it is still warm and hung on a pole to dry.
4. Removing the bark: The dried mulberry bark is soaked in water to soften it again, and the white bark that is used as the raw material for washi paper is dried.
5. Soaking: The dried skins are soaked in water in a river or a tank to naturally bleach them and remove impurities.
6. Cooking...The fibers are boiled in a large pot to dissolve the components that bind the fibers together.
7. Dustpan…removes impurities
8. Beating: Crushing the paper material into small pieces
9. Papermaking...The raw materials, water, and paste (a viscous liquid that prevents the fibers from clumping and sinking) are put into a papermaking boat, mixed well, and the paper is made one sheet at a time.
10. Dehydration: To remove the moisture from the paper, the paper board is placed on a press and a board is placed over it to squeeze it out.
11. Drying: The paper is then dried after the water has been squeezed out.
12. Sorting: The dried paper is peeled off the board, collected, inspected, and cut as necessary to complete the process.
