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Show = - ‘ upon the polished floor around the hibacki, and were served clear green te and little squares of confection. Mr. Nishino, with much humility an modesty, implored that we do him the honour of inspecting his paper mill and upon our grateful acceptance of the invitation, the master of the mil led the way down the grass-grown lane to the group of buildings surrounde by a wall where the inevitable hot green tea in tiny covered cups wa awaiting our arriva The Nishino, handmad\. papermill s the most pretentious in the district and I was rather surprised to see the large proportions of the rambling half-timbered buildings, cach devoted to one of the many processes o preparing the materials and converting them into sheets of paper. We wer taken up steps and down, through the warm, steamy, stone-floored sheds filled with the aroma of fresh bark, where the materials are boiled; then o through the low house where the beating takes place, and into the grea rooms fitted with low, oblong wooden vats filled with the beaten bark int which the moulds are dipped in forming shects of paper. In Japanes handmade paper mills the visitor is always conscious of the sound of dull slow beating and the swishing of water, mingled with the scuffle of woode shoes on rough stone floors, while me whole atmosphere is one of intens dampness, heavy with the delightfull While visiting the Nishino .mn I was fortunate in being able to see th making of the so-called "vellum"-that smooth, long-fibred, natural-tone ooks and ctchmgx, an with the cultivation of the mitsumata and other papermaking plants. This however, will be an appropriate place for an account of the actua prcparaunnof uu several barks used in papermaking f the bark useful to the papermaker is that section whic and the actual outer bark- the thin, white, tende Digitalimage 2004 Marriott Library, Universiy of Utah. All ights reserved |
