本美濃紙 / 乾燥と選別
美濃では晴れた日に、和紙工房の外の梁に紙を干すための大きな木の板が立てかけられています。1枚の板は長さが2メートル近くあり、幅60センチ強、重さは約20キロもあります。乾燥板は、木目が細かく、紙に写り込むようなキズのないトチノキの一枚板でできています。このサイズの板が取れるほどの大木は、樹齢300年を超えていることもあり、乾燥板は交換が難しいものです。
和紙を積み重ねた状態で一晩圧縮を行い、余分な水気を取り除きます。その後、一枚ずつ乾燥板に載せ、優しく履いて気泡やしわを取り除いたら、屋外へ運びます。数時間後にこれを裏返して反対側も乾燥させたら、乾燥工程は終わりです。
一枚一枚を光にかざして検査し、破れや染み、不純物などの欠陥がある紙は廃棄されます。
Finishing Touches: Drying, Sorting, and Trimming
On sunny days in Mino, large wooden boards for drying paper are propped against beams in front of the washi studios. Each board is close to 2 meters long, a little over 60 centimeters wide, and weighs almost 20 kilograms. A drying board is made from a single plank of horse chestnut, which is a wood known for its fine grain, free of defects that might imprint on the paper. The trees that are large enough to yield boards of this size can be as much as 300 years old, and the drying boards are hard to replace.
The sheets are stacked together and pressed overnight to remove any excess water. Each sheet is then positioned on a drying board, gently brushed to remove any air bubbles or creases, and then moved outside. After several hours, the sheets are turned over to dry the other side.
Each sheet is held up to the light for inspection, and any paper with flaws such as tears, marks, or impurities is discarded.
