3-2. The processes for "Hakuya"

<Kamijikomi>

It is said that it takes 2 to 3 months to prepare Japanese paper into Haku-uchigamiu.

-The Making of Haku-uchigami-

First, a lye mixture made from water and the ash of rice straw is blended together with persimmon tannin and eggs. This is folloewed by soaking a type of handmade Japanese paper, called Ganpishi,in this liquid. Afterwards, the excess moisture is squeezed out the paper and the edges are lined up to be hammered by the Aku-uchi (a machine for hammaring paper and gold foil). The paper sticks together by hammering, then craftsmen peel them off one by one.This work is called Tekazu and must be repeated numerous times until the paper no longer sticks to one another. When the process of Kamijikomi is complete, the paper will be called Haku-uchigami, the paper used for hammering process of gold leaf.

9. The cutting of papers

10. Chiri-haki (the removal of residue)

11. Aku-uchi (the hammering of the set of moisten papers)

12. Te-kazu (the peering and drying of papers that got stuck together)

13. Aku-zuke (the soaking of papers in lye)

14. Nure-boshi (the removal of excess moisture)

15. Aku-uchi (the hammering of the set of moisten papers)

16. Te-kazu (the peering and drying of papers that got stuck together)

17. Hi-age (the drying of papers by the heater)

<Haku-uchi>

Hammering Process - the Making of Kinpaku (gold leaf)

The Uwazumi is cut into small pieces and placed altenately between about 1,800 sheets of a Haku-uchigami called Komagami. The stack is then wrapped with leather and fastened so it cannot loose. It is then hammered by the Haku-Uchiki (a machine for hammering gold foil) until the gold foil reaches about 10cm in size.The goldfoil at this stage is called Koma. The Koma is moved into Omogami (a type of paper to be used for the last stage) and is hammered down once more.The completed gold leaves are checked and select leaves are transferred one by one onto the special notes called Hiromonocho.

18. Zumikiri (the cutting of Uwazumi (gold leaf) into small pieces.)

19. Shiki-ire (the placement of Uwazumi between 1,800 sheets of hammering papers alternately)

20. Koma-Uchi (thehammering processes of the set of Uwazumi and hammering papers)

21. Watashi-shigoto (the change of the hammering papers for the final hammering stage.)

22. Hinoma-sagyou (the warming proccess of the set of gold foils and hammering papers during final process.)

23. Uchi-mae (the final hammering process)

24. Nuki-shigoto(the sorting and moving to the special notebook called Hiromonocho)

<Shiage>

25. Haku-utsushi  (the cutting of gold leaf in regular square and moving on special papers alternately.)

26. Kinpaku (the completed fold leaf as final product)