Our workshop
Workshop introduction video
Our workshop was introduced in a Shikoku tourism promotion video.
(It's only a few seconds...)
This video is full of the charms of Shikoku, so please take a look.
Thoughts on handmade Japanese paper
Handmade Japanese paper has played a major role behind the scenes in the development of civilization and culture.
Handmade washi paper was used for calligraphy, letters, ukiyo-e, nishiki-e, and even the furnishing of Japanese-style rooms in homes.
However, it has been more than 100 years since washi paper became an indispensable part of our lives.
Having completed its important role of transmitting information and preserving records, washi paper has become completely removed from our modern lives.
And paper itself has changed from something that was stored to something that is consumed in large quantities.
Handmade washi paper is said to have a lifespan of 1,000 years, but in today's world where paper has evolved into a consumable item, it may be very difficult for handmade washi paper to continue to exist as "paper."
However, the techniques of handmade washi paper have been quietly passed down from generation to generation for over 1,000 years, even to the present day.
This may be because the techniques used to produce handmade washi paper, which combine the blessings of nature and the wisdom of our ancestors, have a mysterious power and charm that makes people want to pass it on.
We see handmade washi paper as a "gift from nature, breathing quietly and silently," and we would like to spread the appeal of this paper from this small workshop.
井上手漉き工房の歴史
井上手漉き工房は、明治後期に初代・井上寅八（いのうえとらはち）が土佐市高岡町で手漉き和紙の事業を立ち上げたことから始まりました。
二代目・井上繁子（いのうえしげこ）は職人を雇用し、工房の規模を拡大。地域に根ざした土佐和紙の製造を本格的に発展させました。
そして三代目・井上稔夫（いのうえとしお）は、自身が10代から和紙職人として技を磨き、伝統を守りつつも新たな価値を生み出しました。稔夫の漉く和紙は、薄く繊細でありながら丈夫で、特に障子紙や提灯紙、掛け軸や屏風の表具用和紙として全国から高い評価を得ました。
さらに稔夫は、「後世に残る本物の和紙を漉きたい」との想いから、重要文化財や国宝の修復に必要な和紙の研究と開発にも取り組みました。その成果として、鎌倉時代の国宝『明月記』や『御堂関白記』、『土佐日記』をはじめとする貴重な文化財の修復紙に、稔夫の和紙が使われるようになりました。
こうした功績が認められ、平成7年には文化庁より「選定保存技術保持者（重要文化財修復用和紙製作）」に認定。翌平成8年には、高知県から伝統工芸の卓越した技術者に贈られる「土佐の匠」にも選ばれています。
「手漉き和紙が未来につながる文化であり続けること」
稔夫のこの想いと情熱は、井上手漉き工房の大切な柱として、次世代の職人たちにしっかりと受け継がれています。
Workshop overview
Name
Tosa Washi Inoue Papermaking Workshop
Since
The first generation, Torahachi Inoue, began producing handmade washi paper in the late Meiji period, and is now the fourth generation.
Address
2776 Otsu, Takaoka-cho, Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture 781-1102
TEL/FAX
088-852-0207
Business content
traffic
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Wholesale sale of handmade Japanese paper
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Wholesale of handmade Japanese paper accessories and miscellaneous goods
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Experience events and workshops held
By car: 5 minutes from Kochi Prefecture Tosa Interchange
Transportation: 20 minutes by bus from Asakura Station
20 minutes by bus from Ino Station
(Get off at Tosa City City Hall bus stop)