Mino Washi Paper Museum
Visitors to Mino Washi Paper Museum can learn about washi in Mino through displays of tools and materials, detailed dioramas, videos, and hands-on workshops. Many of the displays have English signage. Regular exhibitions feature artwork from around the world that uses washi.
The international history of writing materials from clay tablets to wood-pulp paper is explained through artifacts and illustrations. Replicas of historical artifacts, such as the earliest-known example of Mino washi from 702, give visitors an overview of the development of washi in Japan, with an emphasis on the Mino area.
Each step of the washi-making process is explained through dioramas, photographs, videos, and displays of the materials and equipment used. A large model of the Japanese archipelago has lanterns made of washi from each area, showing the differences in style and raw materials.
Several rooms are devoted to traditional and contemporary uses of Mino washi. Gifu lanterns and sliding shoji screens were made with Mino washi in the Edo period (1603–1867). Modern applications include washi yarns and audio speaker diaphragms.
Washi-making workshops, available through the museum, use the same materials and tools as professional papermakers. Participants can choose to make washi postcards or sheets of washi decorated with leaves, paper shapes, or water patterns. The workshops take less than an hour and are held several times a day. Reservations must be made in advance.
Items made from Mino washi can be purchased at the museum shop. Meals and refreshments are available at the museum cafe.
Mino Washi Paper Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).
