Edible Seaweed and Washi

Hello everyone.

I am HIROYA, a washi artist who is busy with work, child-rearing (parenting), and chores on a daily basis.

Today, I would like to talk about the relationship between seaweed and washi, not washi accessories. I may be, but I am writing here because I read a book today about a surprising relationship between the two that I learned about for the first time.

There is also a world edition in the same series here. I have both, and I don't know if I am getting educated, but I seriously read one page every day.

The Japanese edition is divided into the following categories: Monday: Nature / Tuesday: History / Wednesday: Literature / Thursday: Chemistry and Technology / Friday: Art / Saturday: Tradition and Culture / Sunday: Philosophy and Thought.

The page I read today was on the subject of tradition and culture, and it was "laver".Nori is a familiar food for Japanese people. We eat it every day in my home as well.

Nori is mentioned in the Taiho Ritsuryo Code of 701, which lists 29 kinds of marine products, including laver, as a type of tax to the Imperial Court.At that time, it was a luxury item and a treat for the nobility. 

In ancient times, nori was only available naturally, but by the Edo period (1603-1867), cultivation techniques were established and nori from Edo Bay was processed into paper using washi papermaking techniques. This is said to be the birth of "Asakusa Nori.

In the middle of the Edo period, square ita nori (dried laver), which was made using a bamboo screen, appeared, and "nori maki" (seaweed rolls) became a boom item.

Indeed, if you look closely at the laver, you can see that the fibers are intertwined here and there. This was the papermaking technique used to make Japanese paper, wasn't it? How did you come up with this? I wonder if he was familiar with handmade washi.

Washi is amazing!Papermaking craftsmen are amazing!

The way you taste the seaweed you eat tomorrow may change!That's what I was talking about.