The Mino Washi Paper Museum is a museum in Mino City, Gifu Prefecture, dedicated to Mino washi, a traditional Japanese handmade paper with a history spanning more than 1,300 years. The museum introduces the history, raw materials, tools, and manufacturing techniques of Mino washi. Visitors can also participate in hands-on workshops and make their own original Japanese paper.
In addition to learning about the traditional papermaking process, visitors can purchase a variety of products made from Mino washi. The museum offers an engaging opportunity to discover the beauty, versatility, and enduring craftsmanship of this celebrated Japanese tradition.
Exhibition Room 1: Introduces the history and techniques of Mino washi, along with the tools used in traditional papermaking. Comparisons with washi produced in other regions of Japan are also presented.
Exhibition Room 2: Displays a variety of everyday items made from Mino washi, demonstrating the paper’s practical uses and versatility.
High-Definition Theater: Screens videos explaining the raw materials, manufacturing process, and applications of Japanese paper.
Library: Houses books and specialist publications about washi, art, and traditional crafts.
Special Exhibition Room: Hosts special exhibitions related to paper and papermaking.
Restaurant Hanamikoshi: A dining facility where visitors can take a break during their visit.
Workshop: Visitors can watch demonstrations of traditional papermaking and try making washi themselves.
Shop and Showroom: Displays and sells Mino washi and a variety of paper products.
Creative Studio: A space for creative activities related to paper and crafts.
Mino washi is the collective name for Japanese paper produced in the Mino region of southern Gifu Prefecture. It is also known as Mino-gami, a term that sometimes specifically refers to paper made in Mino City.
Renowned for its beauty, durability, and refined texture, Mino washi has been used for centuries in traditional Japanese arts, crafts, and everyday objects.
Hon-Mino paper is a particularly traditional form of Mino washi, known for being both thin and strong. It is produced according to strict traditional standards governing its raw materials, manufacturing methods, and finishing techniques.
To qualify as Hon-Mino paper, the following requirements must be met:
Raw material: Only the inner bark fibers of the paper mulberry tree, known as kozo, may be used.
Traditional methods and tools: The paper must be made using traditional papermaking techniques and equipment.
Preparation of the fibers: The kozo bark must undergo the traditional white-bark preparation process. The fibers must be cooked using plant or wood ash, or soda ash.
No chemical bleaching or fillers: Chemical bleaching is prohibited, and no fillers may be added.
Beating the fibers: The fibers must be beaten by hand or processed using an equivalent traditional method.
Traditional sheet formation: Tororo-aoi, a plant whose mucilage helps suspend the fibers in water, must be used as a forming aid. The paper must be made using the traditional nagashizuki flowing-water technique with a bamboo screen prepared by the traditional kagitsuke or sogitsuke method.
Drying: The finished sheets must be dried on boards.
Preservation of traditional qualities: The paper must retain the characteristic color, texture, and other qualities of traditional Hon-Mino paper.
Hon-Mino paper accounts for approximately 10% of all Mino washi products. It has been designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and is also registered on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Handmade Mino washi is produced using techniques based on those of Hon-Mino paper. A wide variety of handmade papers are created to suit different purposes and artistic preferences.
The Mino Handmade Washi Cooperative is an organization supporting this traditional craft, and it is affiliated with the Gifu Paper Industry Federation.
Machine-made Mino washi applies the principles of traditional handmade papermaking to mechanized production. In addition to paper for everyday use, manufacturers produce specialty papers for applications such as electrical insulation, electrical conductivity, and fire resistance.
One of the oldest surviving examples of paper produced in Japan is a household registration document made in 702, during the Taiho era, when the Taiho Code was enacted. During the Nara period (710–794), government-operated papermaking workshops existed, and paper production began in Mino Province, the historical region that corresponds to much of southern Gifu Prefecture today.
During the medieval period, Mino hosted regular markets held six times a month. Merchants from the Omi region helped distribute Mino paper throughout Japan, expanding its reputation beyond its place of origin.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), high-quality Japanese paper was produced in large quantities under a system of exclusive production and sales. Mino washi became so widely recognized that its name came to be associated with Japanese paper itself.
From the Meiji period (1868–1912) through the Taisho period (1912–1926), the number of households producing Mino paper, particularly around Mino City, reached approximately 3,700.
Production declined during the Showa period (1926–1989) as machine-made Western-style paper became increasingly widespread. Efforts to preserve and promote the tradition continued, including the opening of the Mino Washi Akari Art Gallery in 2005.
In 2014, traditional Japanese papermaking techniques associated with Mino washi were included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage listing for traditional Japanese handmade paper.
Mino washi plays an essential role in several traditional crafts of Gifu Prefecture, including Gifu lanterns, Gifu Japanese umbrellas, and Gifu uchiwa fans.
From the Edo period onward, the Nagara River served as an important transportation route. Mino and other riverside communities prospered as commercial ports, and the waterways supported the transportation and distribution of Mino washi to other parts of Japan.
At the Mino Washi Paper Museum, visitors can explore this rich heritage through historical displays, traditional tools, demonstrations, and hands-on papermaking experiences. It is an excellent place to discover how a centuries-old craft continues to inspire contemporary Japanese design and culture.