Why KAKISIBUGAMI(ISEKATAGAMI's paper) make detailed works？
Why is KAKISIBUGAMI water resistant？
KAKISIBUGAMI(persimmon juice paper) is excellent paper, detailed and resistant to water. A Good Worker cannot make magnificent Works without KAKISIBUGAMI. Consequent of KAKISIBUGAMI Cutting is capable of making a half millimeter line. We explore Kakisibugami's mysteries on this page.
On a fulling board,paste two to four sheets of persimmon juiced japanese paper (three work well). Cross paper's fibers by placing them lengthwise, sideways, and lengthwise. These three Japanese Papers make a KAKISIBUGAMI of unit.
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After soaking the paper in persimmon juice for three days, dry them in the Sun.
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Kakisibugami is then set in a smokehouse (named "MURO") for a few days. (This process called "MUROKARASI") This work dries KAKISIBUGAMI completely.
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Repeat the process of soaking, drying and smoking. After about one month KAKISIBUGAMI will be finished. although KAKISIBUGAMI usually lies one or two years before a pattern can be cut.
Mysteries of Kakisibugami
Why use KAKISIBUGAMI to make detailed works？
Japanese proverb says "One can't tear a piece of paper sideways". This mean trying to accomplish something through force alone. This proverb says Japanese paper is too strong to tear Sideways. KAKISIBUGAMI is made by crossing japanese papers, thus KAKISIBUGAMI has no cutting weakness either over the length or the breadth.
Why KAKISIBUGAMI is moisture resistant？
Antique japanese umbrella are made by coating paper with persimmon juiced. Coating paper with persimmon juiced paper makes it resistant to moisture. Persimmon juice soaks into the paper fibers. Tannin in the Persimmon juice becomes solid , and then Paper become firm, but malleable. Firmness folloes an interval of sundrying and smoking, of termination KAKISIBUGAMI have become resistant to moisture.
KAKISIBUGAMI is also resistant to insect bites. Fully dried goodness is said to last about three hundreds years. (Tokugawa shogunate KAKISIBUGAMI is preserved yet today.)