{"id":4400,"date":"2026-02-06T13:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/?p=4400"},"modified":"2026-02-09T12:53:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:53:55","slug":"making-washi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/2026\/making-washi\/","title":{"rendered":"Making\u00a0Washi\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Making\u00a0Washi\u00a0\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                                    \n\n<p>Many thanks to invited guest Tani Chihiro for visiting Carleton last Thursday to share her passion for\u00a0washi-making with students in our Japanese courses, the <a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/CarletonSakuraSociety\">Carleton Sakura Society,<\/a> and members of the wider university community.<\/p>\n\n\n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"586\" data-id=\"4402\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-1024x586.png\" alt=\"Chihiro\" class=\"wp-image-4402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-1024x586.png 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-512x293.png 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-320x183.png 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-1536x879.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-intro-2048x1172.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"504\" data-id=\"4401\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-1024x504.png\" alt=\"Group shot of the LLRC shows students sitting around at tables covered with table cloths.\" class=\"wp-image-4401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-1024x504.png 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-512x252.png 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-320x157.png 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-768x378.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before-1536x756.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-before.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Wa (\u548c) and shi (\u7d19) literally means &#8220;Japanese paper&#8221; and the practice of creating it dates back hundreds of years. &nbsp;In the workshop, participants began by soaking shredded fibres of the mulberry plant in water. &nbsp;Then, under Chihiro-sensei&#8217;s patient instruction, they transferred these fibres onto wire mesh frames to form sheets. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, these sheets were removed from the frames and placed on the windowpane for overnight drying. &nbsp;The results speak for themselves; durable, elegant, and beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"736\" data-id=\"4403\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-1024x736.png\" alt=\"Student places soaked mulberry in screen.\" class=\"wp-image-4403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-1024x736.png 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-512x368.png 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-320x230.png 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01-1536x1104.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-soak-01.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"642\" data-id=\"4404\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-1024x642.png\" alt=\"Two members of Sakura Society point toward the washi stuck on the window pane.\" class=\"wp-image-4404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-1024x642.png 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-512x321.png 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-320x201.png 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-768x481.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura-1536x963.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-sakura.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Language and culture are so tightly connected and activities like this are such a great opportunity for students to experience this connection firsthand. &nbsp;Thanks to the Japanese teaching team for organizing this event. &nbsp;For those who have not yet collected their&nbsp;washi, you can stop by the LLRC (SP 337) to pick it up.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-1024x768.png\" alt=\"Group poses with their washi frames in front of their faces\" class=\"wp-image-4405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-512x384.png 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-320x240.png 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/131\/2026\/02\/washi-group-2048x1536.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And, for those of you who are feeling somewhat more ambitious, maybe you\u2019re thinking about something bigger. &nbsp;Japan has you covered! &nbsp;In Japan,&nbsp;washi&nbsp;is not only used for writing paper. &nbsp;In larger formats, it is also used for shoji (\u969c\u5b50), home decor such as paper screens or room dividers.  In 2025, &#8220;Washi&nbsp;Craftsmanship&#8221; was added to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/washi-craftsmanship-of-traditional-japanese-hand-made-paper-02291\">UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wa (\u548c) and shi (\u7d19) literally means &#8220;Japanese paper&#8221; and the practice of creating it dates back hundreds of years. &nbsp;In the workshop, participants began by soaking shredded fibres of the mulberry plant in water. &nbsp;Then, under Chihiro-sensei&#8217;s patient instruction, they transferred these fibres onto wire mesh frames to form sheets. &nbsp; Finally, these sheets [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":4405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[34,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese","category-news"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4400"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4420,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions\/4420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/llrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}