A workshop presented by Tanya Norman and sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division in March 1999 was the first opportunity in Saskatoon to make paper in the traditional Japanese manner.
Kozo is the inner bark from paper Mulberry saplings or shoots which are harvested from the roots in one or two year cycles. The labour intensive process results in a highly prized archival paper.
|
The fibre was harvested, cleaned and dried when we began. We soaked about one kilogram of it in slowly running water for 14 hours. |
| Then the excess water was squeezed out of the fibre without twisting or wringing the lengths of bark. |  |
Once the kozo had rehydrated, the next stage was to cook it.