Papermaking in Micronesia and Japan
Bookmaking began with papermaking on Guam, where I lived for sixteen years. In 1980, I needed paper for a printmaking class at the University of Guam. My husband was traveling to Japan, so I asked him to bring back paper for my use. He returned with a stack of washi, the most beautiful handmade paper I had ever seen. I knew there was only one way to make exquisite paper. It had to be made from pure plant fiber (there's no rice in "rice paper"), and processed naturally. Thus began a papermaking odyssey that took me to the papermaking villages of Japan, into the jungles of Guam, and to the islands of Micronesia. Beautiful paper was made for almost ten years using tropical fiber, natural plant dyes, and the traditional Japanese method of papermaking (nagashizuki).
