Share
clip 1, 2Clip description
In the village of Kurotani in Japan’s Black Valley, scenes of traditional papermaking are shown as the narrator Noni Hazlehurst explains Japan’s 1,500-year history of hand-made papermaking. Japanese papermaker Yikoshi Fukuda explains that his family has been in the business of making paper for six generations. He explains the differences between Japanese and Western styles of paper and the village’s abundant water supply which allows their traditional practices to continue. As he speaks, other members of the community are shown working on different parts of the papermaking process.
Curator’s notes
Paper Trail is a documentary primarily concerned with the environmental sustainability of the paper industry that is supported by the logging of timber for paper production. The film offers alternative non-timber solutions to making paper as we see in this clip. The use of mulberry bushes to produce handmade paper in the village of Kurotani is just one example of non-timber alternatives. Later in the film, other non-timber sources of paper are explored including cotton, bamboo, linen, papyrus, hemp and the fibre plant kenaf.
