サボテンで和紙作り
“Making Washi with Cactus”
NHK one-minute story: https://www.nhk.jp/p/ohayou/ts/QLP4RZ8ZY3/movie/
The production of the tororo-aoi plant, from which “neri” (a viscous formation aid used in Japanese papermaking) is traditionally made, has been in decline. Cactus enthusiasts have joined papermakers to help with this predicament. They thought that uchiwa saboten, also known as “hand-fan cactus,” might be a good alternative because it produces a lot of mucilage and is easy to cultivate.
Papermaker Hiroko Tanino was approached to try making paper using this cactus, as she has previous experience in using another variety of cactus called gekka bijin to make neri.
Tanino: “Because acquiring neri has always been somewhat of an issue for papermakers, I found it interesting to try this out.”
There were some challenges when first processing the cactus.
Tanino: “When I squeeze [the cactus mucilage] it pricks my hand.”
This issue was resolved by using a kitchen tool to remove the cactus thorns. As of now, the testing has been going on for over two years.
Tanino: “There seems to be no problem using the cactus for neri. I think it makes good paper.”
From this point on, they will make sure that the cactus is high enough quality to use as a neri alternative, with the aim to implement its use in standard washi papermaking.
Hiromi Paper Blog 