Ino Paper Museum — Tosa Washi

photo by At by At · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Oyazo · CC BY-SA 3.0

At its thinnest it measures 0.03 mm: the same area makes a machine-made version at 0.02.

Opened on 2 March 1985 as the ‘Tosa Traditional Paper Industry Hall’, covering about 2,500 m² on three floors built with Tosa techniques (土佐漆喰 plaster and traditional roof tiles). Three exhibition rooms trace the history and uses of washi and the whole production process (from harvesting the kōzo and mitsumata fibres through to shipping), and host resident artisans who run hands-on workshops. The best-known local paper, Tosa Tengujō-shi, made along the river around Ino and Hidaka, reaches 12.9 g/m² and a thickness of 0.03 mm at its thinnest when made by hand; a local company also produces an even thinner machine-made version, 2 g/m² and 0.02 mm.

In the small town of Ino, for centuries the centre of washi paper production in the prefecture, together with nearby Hidaka. Tosa Tengujō-shi was selected on 27 March 1973 as an intangible cultural property for which documentation measures are to be taken, and in 1976 it was included among the traditional craft products recognised by the Japanese Ministry of the Economy.

ℹ️ A 10-minute walk from JR Ino Station (Dosan Line) or from the Ino stop on the Tosa electric railway; 10 minutes by car from the Ino interchange on the Kochi Expressway. Opening hours and ticket price should be checked on the official website.

🚉 Ino · 9 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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