3：Revival of Aoganpi-washi：

I retired from Medical University in Tokyo when I reached the retirement age in 1990 and was released from the pressure of time for education, diagnosis and research. So I decided to take that opportunity to do what I wanted. When I visited a friend in Ishigaki Island, he introduced me to Dr. Shimoda and Washi-no-sato. Since then, I have visited Washi-no-sato as a volunteer every month from Tokyo.

　　However, Washi-no-sato didn't seem to make washi, so I asked Dr. Shimoda to show me the paper mill. The paper mill was covered with dust. I thought there had to be reasons for this. I wanted to be of help to Washi-no-sato, so I started to visit Iriomote Island every month to learn how to make Aoganhpi-washi from Sister Kanemitsu.

　　Unfortunately, a few months later, Sister got sick and went to a hospital in Kyusyu. Because it happened so suddenly and I had not learned enough, I visited many old paper mills on the mainland.
I was able to learn essential things about washi-making from them. When I had difficulty in finding a reasonable place to move a workshop in Ishigaki because Iriomote was an isolated Island, Mayor of Ishigaki offered me city-owned land. He thought washi-making would be an indigenous industry. Thanks to the Mayor, I was able to rent the land and establish this laboratory.
　　　　　

　

From left to right: me, Sister Kanemitsu

Sister Kanemitsu

4: Aoganpi-washi was made in Yaeyama long ago!

　When I got interested in Aoganpi-washi and began to study it, I learned that many people thought Aoganpi-washi was bought from the mainland. After reading Yaeyama Kamisuki Horeichou, I found that Momota-washi and Sugihara-washi were listed in the book but Aoganpi-washi was not. I found out that there were "other" papers made at that time. I was making Aoganpi-washi without knowing why Aoganpi-washi was brought up, but soon afterward, I learned that Aoganpi-washi, like Ganpi, is in danger of being extinct and is rare and precious, I started to solve this mystery.
First, I visited Ishigaki City Yaeyama Museum and had Yaeyama Kamisukikata Horeichou deciphered, but there was no mention of Aoganpi-washi in that book. However, there were many books made of Aoganpi-washi.

Below: Left: A book made of Aoganpi-washi Right: Aoganpi-washi with painting

　According to Yaeyama's Paleography Investigate Report (1980) by Okinawa Board of Education, 500(82%) out of all 612 investigated old documents were made of Kozo, 19 (0.03%) were made of Basyou-washi and 8 (0.013%) were made of Aoganpi-washi. And all 8 documents made of Aoganpi-washi were kept by a family of pedigree in Ishigaki. They ranged from 1859 to 1884 and they were not written as official documents but as copies when the family went to the mainland. As I consider the meaning of these,

1: Ryukyu Dynasty used Momota-washi and Sugihara-washi for their official documents. Because Okinawa's Momota-washi was expensive, they created Basyou-washi as an alternative, but it requires more work to make than to make Kozo-washi and Basyou-washi has no characteristic as washi. Aoganpi trees seemingly grew wild but not enough for the people to think of it as a raw material for washi.

2: People in Yaeyama probably used Kozo-washi for their official use and used Aoganpi-washi for their daily use. They made Aoganpi-washi from wild Aoganpi and by Nagashi-zuki style. Because Okinawa has no long history of washi and they think of Kozo as washi and didn't know the value of Aoganpi-washi, they surprisingly used Aoganpi-washi for the daily use instead of Kozo. If they have known the value of Aoganpi like mainland people, Aoganpi might be extinct.

3: It was an epoch-making thing that Yaeyama people had made Aoganpi-washi in Nagashi-zuki instead of Kozo which they forced to make by Satsuma Domain.
However, they had no knowledge and history of washi, so they must not have realized the value of Aoganpi.

4: In 1894 in Japan, mimeograph came into practical use. Paper used for mimeograph has to be thin and strong enough to be written in pencil. Ganpi-washi was the only option for this purpose. As memeograph became popular, the supply of mainland's Ganpi-washi ran short. So, in accordance with the aforementioned Hamada engineer's opinion, Yaeyama's Aoganpi trees were sent and used by Kouchi paper mill. This might be because Kouchi people knew that Yaeyama's Ganpi had similar value as mainland's Ganpi.

At any rate, it is Yaeyama people's duty to preserve this hidden cultural asset and raw material of washi. The Yaeyama people should be proud of Aoganpi as a unique product.