I participated in the harvesting of Abelmoschus in Aoya, the production area of Inshu washi paper.
Abelmoschus is an essential sticky material for making washi paper, and is an ingredient in "neri," which is mixed with water along with fiber materials such as kozo and mitsumata when making washi paper.
It is sticky materials such as Abelmoschus that make possible the unique method of making Japanese paper called Nagashi-suki.
The stems and leaves of Abelmoschus begin to wither from around November, so harvest around that time.
Dig up and cut off any unwanted stems, being careful not to damage the roots.
The Abelmoschus harvested in this way can be stored in two main ways.One is to soak it in preservatives, and the other is to freeze it.
The properties of the finished paper will vary depending on the storage method. I feel like I can get a glimpse of the paper-making craftsman's commitment to the state of preservation.
This concludes the report.