From the Non-European Tradition to a Variation of Japanese Model of Competitiveness: the Japanese Modern Paper Industry since the 1870s (original) (raw)

4 / 48 1. Historical background and general conditions 1.1 Japanese paper and western paper: Japan's indigenous paper culture and the modern paper industry The modern machine papermaking of the paper product types introduced from the Western countries started out in the mid 1870s. However, considering washi, the traditional Japanese paper (whose characteristic shall be described below), papermaking dates far back in 7 th century. The handmade paper industry introduced from China through the Korean peninsula made a significant development long before modernization. Papermaking until the Medieval Age was closely connected to religion also in Japan, where major part of the paper demand was for the Buddhist scriptures, transcription of sutras, and political records. The sutras were printed in book form around the 12 th century onwards. Meanwhile, literature emerged around the end of 12 th century, and the use of paper encompassed sliding-screen paper, tissue paper and kaishi (pocketable folded paper for versatile use), and it further spread into the daily life as fixture and livingware in the 14 th century. 5 The Japanese economy showed a proto-industrial development and sustainable economic growth in the early modern period (from the end of 16 th century to the 1860s) where demand for paper went sky-high due to flourishing trade and manufacture, and increases in income and population. Under the shogunate system, many provinces promoted production of washi as a monopoly good. The result was a dramatic increase in amount and variety of paper and the popularization of the demand for paper. Paper was used not only for writing, books and wrapping, but also for fixtures like screen door and sliding door, and various other products such as umbrellas, paper lanterns, and raincoats. The use of paper in Japan was far wider than that in European countries, and due to this versatility, the Japanese paper industry had a relatively large market even before modernization and westernization. These paper products formerly made by hand before the early modern period are collectively called washi (Japanese paper). On the other hand, the machine-made paper products imported from the West and was soon manufactured in Japan are called yoshi (Western paper). The history of modern paper industry is equivalent to the process of introduction and development of yoshi papermaking, but its development cannot be explained without its relations with washi. Whereas in the West the difference between the product characteristics of handmade paper and machine-made one are relatively small and their modernization was centered on process innovation, the Japanese traditional washi and modern imported yoshi had 5 Miyamoto[1973], p.58