Born in a Historical Region, Naturally Led to the Path of Craftsman

Please tell us about the founding of Igarashi Seishi, and the characteristics of the current workshop.

Igarashi Seishi was established in 1919 (Taisho era year 8) by my great-grandfather. In October 2023, we will celebrate our 104th year of establishment. Currently, we are manufacturing with a team of nine people, including family members and part-timers, and my mother and I are actively working as traditional craftsmen.

What we make ranges from wallpapers and fusuma paper to wrapping paper, sake labels and small items. We do not limit ourselves to the shape, thickness or size of the items we manufacture. We cater to everything—from flat to three-dimensional objects, thin to thick.

A distinctive feature of our workshop is our strong spirit of challenge. If we receive a request asking, "Can you do this?" our response is, "Let's try it once." We often have wholesalers consulting us, saying, "We tried asking other workshops, but they rejected it. Can Igarashi Seishi do it?"

Could you share the story of how you got involved in the workshop?

Being an only child, it was naturally expected that I would take over the workshop that has been inherited for generations. Echizen is the oldest Wasahi production area in Japan—a city where many people are involved in papermaking.

Papermaking was introduced about 1500 years ago. There are theories suggesting it came along with Buddhism (sutras) from China, and the other that a goddess taught papermaking for the area around Otaki Shrine, which is not suitable for crop cultivation.

There are various theories, but with the proximity of Echizen Port and the presence of books made in Echizen at the Shosoin in Nara, the theory that it was transmitted from China seems most plausible.

You mentioned Echizen is the oldest Washi production site in Japan, but how many workshops are there in the entire production area?

I think there are more than 50 workshops. However, the exact number is unclear as there are some who are not members of the Fukui Prefecture Paper Industry Cooperative Association. We have a variety of people involved, including those who make papermaking tools and those involved in Washi manufacturing.

However, the number of workshops has been declining lately due to the lack of successors. It is inevitable, but it feels a bit lonely.