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Ino Paper Museum

Tosa washiInopapermakingconservation paperworkshop

Kochi · Ino

33.5472°N, 133.4237°E

Tosa washi is among the thinnest handmade paper in the world — the finest grades are measured in hundredths of a millimetre and are used by conservators in museums across Europe and North America to repair manuscripts, because they are strong enough to hold and thin enough to disappear. Ino, on the Niyodo river west of Kochi city, is where it is made, and the water quality is the reason.

The museum opened in 1985 and covers the materials, the process and the history, but the reason to go is the workshop: you can make a sheet yourself under a technician on any open day, in about an hour including drying, and the traditional nagashi-zuki scooping technique is demonstrated by a professional on the first Sunday of the month. The shop sells papers that are otherwise sold only to conservation labs and printmakers.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Daytime hours — confirm before travelling | Papermaking sessions run during opening hours

Closed: Confirm before travelling

Entrance Fee

Admission and papermaking sessions charged — confirm current prices before travelling

Best Season

Year-round | Indoor site

Visit Duration

60–90 minutes including a papermaking session

Getting There

Access Information

110-1 Saiwai-cho, Ino, Agawa District. Walking distance from Ino Station on the JR Dosan Line or the Ino tram terminus. Papermaking sessions run daily during opening hours, take about an hour including drying and are open to children of around five or six with adult help; a paid nagashi-zuki demonstration session runs on the first Sunday of each month. Confirm admission and opening hours before travelling.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Do the papermaking.** It takes about an hour with only five to twenty minutes of actual scooping and forty minutes of drying, and it is available on any open day without booking for individuals. **First Sunday for nagashi-zuki.** The traditional flowing-scoop technique is demonstrated by a craftsman and can be tried on a paid basis on the first Sunday of the month only. **Buy conservation-grade paper.** The shop carries the very thin grades used by museum conservators and by printmakers, which are otherwise hard to buy in small quantities. **It is reachable by tram.** The Tosaden tram from Kochi city runs to Ino, which makes this one of the few craft workshops in the prefecture accessible without a car. **Combine with Niyodo Blue.** Ino is the gateway to the Niyodo valley, and Nikobuchi is up the same river.

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