The term, “Mino-washi” is actually relatively new. About 30 years ago, when the handmade paper of Mino was appointed as Japan’s traditional work of art, it was registered as “Mino-washi” which spread to the public. This was due to the same naming style of the well known Echizen-washi and Tosa-washi.
Historically, the hand made paper of Mino was called “Mino-gami.” Mino was one of the most prominent papermaker regions and was nationally recognized for washi. Since the production of Mino gami dominated in quantities, sometimes people called any washi, Mino gami. This created a lot of confusion for washi users. In Japan, registering region names as part of their brand has stirred many conflicts. For example, China registered the name “Aomori Apples” which is the name of Japan’s famous apples from Aomori prefecture. In consequence, Japan could not export the original, high quality “Aomori Apples” into China.
To prevent this type of incident for washi, the paper makers in Mino established an association for registering their paper. But continues to struggle since they can’t agree on the true make up of Mino gami. I hope we will resolve this obstacle for our wish is to continue providing true, high quality paper to oversea washi aficionados. Count on us, it is our goal.
