Washi (和紙) is traditional Japanese paper processed by hand using fibers
from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia
chrysantha), or the paper mulberry (kōzo) bush.
Washi is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, and is
used in many traditional arts. Origami, shodō, and ukiyo-e were all
produced using washi. Washi was also used to make various everyday goods
like clothes, household goods, and toys, as well as vestments and ritual
objects for Shinto priests and statues of Buddha. It was even used to make
wreaths that were given to winners in the 1998 Winter Paralympics. Washi
is also used to repair historically valuable cultural properties,
paintings, and books at museums and libraries around the world, such as
the Louvre and the Vatican Museums, because of its thinness, pliability,
durability over 1000 years because of its low impurities, and high
workability to remove it cleanly with moisture.
As a Japanese craft, it is registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural
heritage.