World class quality
The manufacturing method based on the craftmanship of goldbeating
The nique Japanese paper called “Furuya Paper” which is used in the process of manufacturing gold leaf is the origin of oil blotting paper.
Furuya Paper attracted attention for its effectiveness of removing sebum from the face
In the late Meiji era, Furuya paper attracted a lot of attention for its effectiveness of removing sebum from the face. Furuya paper is a special Japanese paper used in the process of manufacturing gold leaf. It absorbed sebum more than any other Washi paper, so it came in useful among Kabuki actors and Maiko.
The number of Furuya paper that can be produced is limited.
It is said that only a limited number of gold leaf could be produced by skilled craftsmen at that time. Furuya paper which is made by the same method as gold leaf was also difficult to mass produce and therefore, it was not available to most ordinary people.
Mass production of Furuya paper while maintaining its quality
In the early Showa era, the technology to mass-produce only Furuya paper was developed based on the manufacturing method of gold leaf in order to make it more available to ordinary people. This technique is called the “Goldbeating method”, and it has succeeded in maintaining the quality of Furuya paper by skilled craftsmen using a method similar to the gold leaf making method.
Genuine oil blotting paper that has passed strict quality standards
Kanazawa city in Ishikawa Prefecture, which produces over 98% of the gold leaf productions in Japan, has the world's top gold leaf manufacturing technology. Above all, "the certificate of goldbeating method" is the proof of the highest level of craftmanship in the goldbeating method and it can be certified only if a product meets strict standards in each of the detailed steps.
Hiyori's oil blotting paper has been certified by the Ishikawa Prefecture Foil Commerce and Industry Association for its gold leaf making method. This is a proof that it is recognized as the highest quality blotting paper" among other blotting papers.
The definition and the method of "gold leaf paper making - oil blotting paper" specified by Ishikawa prefecture foil commerce and industry cooperative association
A craftsman equipped with skill and intuition of gold beating 【Oil Blotting Paper】that is crafted by carefully beaten base paper of【Oil Blotting Paper】with a foil-stripping machine which is capable of producing gold, silver and other foil paper. The fiber of paper of the finished 【Oil Blotting Paper】is hammered even more than the base paper so that has the texture of paper stretched by a foil-stripping machine.
【Commentary】Oil blotting paper that are simply manufactured with a foil-stripping machine that moves up and down does not satisfy the above (1), so it is not certified as a gold leaf paper manufacturing method. Even for the oil blotting paper beaten with a foil striking machine, to satisfy the condition of (2), it requires a considerable amount of operation time Therefore, just beating with a foil-stripping machine doesn’t count as a gold leaf paper production method.
Gold leaf manufacturing process
The process of manufacturing gold leaf is roughly divided into the craftmanship of Uwazumi-ya and Hakuuchi-ya (Goldbeater). Among them, high-quality Japanese paper is used for Hakuuchi paper, so preparation of the paper takes a lot of time (almost half a year) and efforts.
Uwazumiya
Alloy making
Add a small amount of silver and copper and dissolve in high temperature to stretch it.
Nobegane (stretching gold)
Using a rolling machine to turn the hardened alloy into a 30 meter strip.
Zumiuchi
Place a 3 cm square piece of gold between Zumiuchi paper and beat it several times to stretch thin until it becomes 3/1000 mm.
Tailoring
Transfer the supernatant, which has been stretched to 3/1000 mm, to 21.7 cm gold foil paper
Gold beater
Hikiire
Cut the supernatant into pieces, place them between 2 sheets of paper and stretch thin by beating
Uchimae
Transfer it to a Hakucuhi sheet, and further beat it to stretch thin. * The life of beating is said to be in this Hakuuchi sheet.
Carefully transfer the very thin gold foil
Sort gold foil that is around 2 / 10,000 mm by quality one sheet at a time .
Foil transfer
Cut it into a specified size with a bamboo frame and place it between Mitsumata Washi paper.
Manufacturing process of foil paper
All Japanese Washi paper are made from Ganpi.
Carefully remove the skin of Ganpi from the Futamata river in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Bind with various raw materials
The skin of Ganpi is put on a water wheel, crushed into fibers, bound with the roots of Toroaoi or the skin of Noriutsugi (hydrangea paniculata) and kneaded with clay from Shiose town in Hyogo Prefecture.
Dry it
Attach the strained paper to a single plate of ginkgo to dry.
Make straw ash
Water from the Kanazawa's river in winter is the most suitable for making straw ash. Pour boiling water over the straw ash to remove the scum.
Mix persimmon tannin and eggs
Mix persimmon tannin and eggs with the straw ash after removing the scum to give it smoothness and luster.
Cut it into 19 cm squares and soak them in water
43 cm x 58 cm base paper is cut into 19 cm squares. Soak the paper in water, put weight on it overnight and moisten it equally.
Beat
Place it between 2 sheets of paper called white pig on top to protect and beat both sides with a hammer.
Lay
The finished papers are layered like a chrysanthemum flower.
Dye with lye, squeeze, and dry
Soak it in lye. Squeeze the soaked paper hard with a stick, get rid of the water and spread it to dry. * Repeat the process of "strike, lay and soak in lye" 20 times.
Put one on top of each other again
Lay the sheets of paper on top of each other, and flip them one by one in front of the fire kettle to dry.* Repeat this process 3 times.
From base paper to Komagami
With this process, the base paper turns into Komagami which is qualified as Uchigami.