subject: Rice Paper Is Used For A Variety Of Artistic Purposes [print this page] Rice paper, which is also called washi, is made from parts of the rice paper plant or other plants materials such as hemp, bamboo and mulberry. Rice paper has been used for centuries for writing, drawing and gyotaku fish prints. It is also a useful medium for making kites, lanterns, surfboards, collages, shoji screens and artificial flowers.
In Europe during the 1900s, this paper originally became known as rice paper, because people believed it was made from rice. The paper is actually made from the pith of a small tree, Tetrapanax papyrifer, the rice paper plant. This plant grows in the swampy forests of Taiwan, and is also cultivated locally as an ornamental plant for its large, exotic leaves.
Many scholars believe that rice paper was created during the Shang dynasty in China, which was discovered to be a very influencial time in history. In 1928 archeologist found and excavated the last capital of the Shang, and found to be quite an advanced civilization. The excavation unearthed city walls, palaces, temples, sacrificial pits, work houses, storage quarters, and cemeteries. The people during the Shang period were very advanced, in fact they created bronze vessels as advanced as humans have ever used. They also learned acupuncture, observed eclipses and stars, organized army troops by decimal scale unit, and of course created the now world famous rice paper (which was known then as Xuancheng after the location it was produced in).
Today most rice paper is made using the rice plant straw, bamboo, hemp, mulberry, wingceltis and gampi. Traditionally this paper (washi) was made of Japanese mulberry tree called "Kozo" or shrubs called "Mitsumata" and "Ganpi". The paper was scarce and valuable because it was all natural and hand-made, until the manufacturing of this paper began in late 1800s. Traditionally rice paper has been used for artistic purposes, such as calligraphy, sumi-e painting and gyotaku fish prints. Today this medium is being utilized for a variety of other useful purposes.
Many modern day paper lanterns are created using rise paper. The paper lantern has flourished in China since the 2nd century. Delighted by its beauty, the Chinese have devoted their second most important holiday to the paper lantern called the "Lantern Festival".
Shoji screens are another product that uses rice paper for it's construction. The original concept of shoji was born in China, and was imported into Japan during the 7th and 8th centuries. The word "shoji" indicates "something to obstruct" in both Chinese and Japanese. Currently the term translates to mean "a room partition", and generally comstructed of a free standing screen and fixed panels with rice paper. The rice paper used for shoji is translucent and is often called "shoji paper".
Surfboard shapers also use rice paper to create designs on their boards. When rice paper has a design is printed or drawn on it, and is then coated with epoxy resin, the paper absorbs the epoxy and turns transparent, leaving only the design on the surfboard. The process can also be applied to kayaks, paddles, or anything made out of foam and covered in fiberglass.
When dyed in various colors, this rice paper is extensively also used for the manufacture of artistic prints and artificial flowers. Flowers and butterflies can be cut out or stamped out of rice paper.
