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By Liz Stone, guest blogger
TOKUSHIMA JP The renowned Awagami Factory, nestled amidst the indigo farms of Tokushima prefecture, produces washi from natural fibers — such as kozo, bamboo, gampi, and hemp.
Crafted following a centuries-old technique, this unique Japanese paper is used for stationary, art, crafts, and more.
As we were in indigo country, visiting Awagami was a must! Patricia and I teamed up with Saori — our first Japanese home-stay student — to experience washi-making ourselves.
Upon arrival, we stepped onto the factory floor and observed the entire process — from fiber preparation to the making, drying, and finishing of paper. Then, we started our hands-on workshop.
Our helpful instructor handed each of us a bamboo frame containing a screen. We began by dunking our frames twice into vats of pulp to coat the screens, then added personal touches using colored pulp, stencils, and strips of contrasting washi paper.
Excess water was removed before we laid our paper sheets out to dry.
Awagami, a sixth generation family business, is also known for hand-dyeing washi with natural indigo. Hanging on the factory walls, huge sheets of washi were transformed with striking indigo designs as were tote bags and other paper-based products in the shop.
We saw for ourselves how Indigo was used to create bold expressions in washi!
Okan Arts’ upcoming Blue Japan tour (early October 2025) will include a washi-making workshop with indigo embellishments at the Awagami Factory— the perfect opportunity to play with indigo in a new way!
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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