Kaminoki

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

青雁皮

Synonym:

カミノキ

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray © CFH Nature Museum

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells
Special features
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Daphne grayana Halda

Wikstroemia obavata Hemsl.

Plant growing area

Japan, Philippines,Taiwan.

Grows in forest thickets, deforested slopes, grasslands.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Wikstroemia canescens is a shrub of the Thymelaceae family, family, which includes nearly 500 species in 44 genera. There is a great confusion among the various Wikstroemias, Stelleras, Edgeworthias and especially Daphnes, because their morphologies are very similar.

Thymelaceaes are base plants for paper making in the Himalaya areas. The plants are valued for the large amount of hemicelluloses contained in the bark. They are also very much used in Chinese medicine.

Wikstroemia retusa is an evergreen shrub, 1 to 3m high.

China:

There are 14 wikstroemia species in Yunnan among which 6 are located in the northwest (delavayi, leptophylla, canescens, lichiangensis, scytophylla, lamatsoensis).

Japan:

It has been used since the Nara period (710-793).

Preparation process for making paper

Japan:

Harvesting takes place every three years from mid-March to late April when the sap is rising and makes the fibers bright and debarking easier.

The bark is peeled off immediately without steaming and hung to dry. At this stage the bark is called "black bark".

Alkaline cooking is done at this stage and lasts 2 to 3 hours. The alkaline agent is wood ashes lye or lime or caustic soda. Bleaching is sometimes made with chlorine. After cooking barks are placed in water for several days to remove cooking residues. It also allows achieving bleaching.

Beating is done manually or with a small hollander beater.

Removing hard impurities is done manually or, more recently, with diaphragm flat screen because the fibers are relatively short. In this case the sorting is done after pulp beating.

Vernacular names

Japanese

Ao Gampi	あおガンピ , 青雁皮

Japanese

Kaminoki	青雁皮	カミノキ

Korean

Anpi

French

Gampi
Wikstroemia

English

Japanese rice paper plant
Rice paper plant

Paper names

In Asia and particularly in China, Korea and Japan, the papers are intended for a wide range of use: Papers for calligraphy and art, Papers for ceremonies, Paper as a medium of exchange, money paper, Papers for making clothes, wall hangings and bedding, Papers for architecture, interior design, Papers for crafts of various kinds, for domestic purposes and leisure.

The names assigned to the paper refers to different notions: The material used, The place of production, The method of production, Appearance, Dimensions, Use, The name of an artist or a studio etc.

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Use for paper making:

Fiber

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Kaminoki

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray