Kozo harvest

All over Japan, kozo is harvested every winter, beginning again the yearly process of turning the stripped bark into paper. Here are the papermakers of Ogawa after harvesting kozo from their own fields.

How washi is made
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Steaming the kozo

After harvesting, the kozo branches are cut to size and steamed, so the bark can be easily removed from the wood. The community of papermakers works together on all the steps of this process.

Kozo steaming in Ogawa

Videos and photos are courtesy our friends in Ogawa, Seiko Musashi and Tatsuya Atarashi.