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Japanese Shifu, Washi Paper Textiles
Shifu
The Japanese have been making handmade washi paper since the 4rd or 5th centuries. Initially, washi paper was exclusively used to record religious and government events. Over time, someone discovered that this same paper could be made into threads/yarns, in a unique manner, and that it might be employed for weaving fabric (shifu).Shifu is the Japanese term for fabric made from paper threads. The best quality shifu was made from paper threads designed for that purpose. It was fashioned into garments for wear by important samurai class and government officials.
However, threads made from old cheap recycled paper also found their way into the hands of Japanese commoners. Rural homemakers with a tradition of weaving fabrics domestically now possessed an inexpensive soft thread for weaving fabric. This fabric was eagerly employed to make ordinary household textiles and garments for everyday wear. For sale here, is one of those garments, a vest with decorative kogin stitching.
Watch this very interesting video to see how Japanese washi paper is converted in the traditional manner into threads/yarn, demonstrated by Susan Byrd, a very skilled crafts woman,
