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Echizen washi (越前和紙)is a type of Japanese paper made in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Its quality, variety, and quantity are the highest in Japan.

History
Echizen Washi has a history of about 1,500 years, and it is said that Echizen Washi was already being made in the 4th or 5th century when paper was first introduced to Japan.

There is a legend about the origin of Echizen Washi.

The Legend of Kawakami Gozen. Long ago, a woman appeared at the upper reaches of the river that flowed through Goka. She said to the people of the village, "This area's many mountains may make it ill-suited for farming, but by using the area's pure, clean water you can make a living from making paper," and taught the villagers how to make paper. The thankful villagers asked what her name was, but all she said was, "I live upstream on the Okamoto River," and with that she vanished. The villagers called her Kawakami Gozen (literally "the lady of the upper reaches"), and dedicated Okamoto shrine to her as the goddess of paper-making.

The existence of Echizen Washi was confirmed from ancient documents in Shosoin. In the early days, it was used as a sutra paper. The paper was named "Echizen-hosho" and began to be produced and used in large quantities as official documents for the higher classes.It developed under the protection of the shogunate and lords. The first Japanese bills, “hansatsu“, are published in Fukui Prefecture and made in Echizen washi production areas. The first Japanese official bills "Dajokansatsu" were published and made in Echizen washi production area. (As a result of the government's review and comparison of bills issued by various clans throughout Japan, Echizen washi was considered to be the best quality in Japan. Production of Bank of Japan bills began.
 * 4~5C
 * 1341
 * 1661
 * 1868
 * 1945

The Birthplace of Paper Money. During the Edo era (1615–1868), the Fukui Domain issued banknotes that could be used for transactions within the domain, making it one of the first places in Japan to use paper money. The paper made in the Goka area for this purpose was of exceptional quality, and soon its reputation led a number of other feudal domains within Japan to adopt Goka's paper for their own money. Later, during the Meiji era (1868–1912), the banknotes issued by the national government were likewise printed on paper from Goka. Although today's yen banknotes are not printed on paper from Goka, it is no exaggeration to say that the paper produced here was the direct ancestor of modern paper money in Japan.

Since then Washi has been a main industry in the Echizen area. There are now about 70 factories that use either handmade, industrial, or processing methods, with about 500 people working in Washi related jobs in the Imadate area "Goka".

Producing Area
"Goka" is called by five villages of the town, Oizu, Iwamoto, Shinzaike, Sadatomo and Otaki, all together. This area has been producing Japanese paper since the 6th century and constitutes "Echizen Washi no Sato". There used to be lots of paper villages everywhere in Japan, but it is very unusual to see an area like Echizen only making paper through all the year, whereas the others used to make paper only in winter when they didn't producerice. As a result, Echizen is one of the largest handmade paper industries in Japan along with Tosa in Kochi and Mino in Gifu Prefectures .

Types and usage of Echizen Washi
There are various types of Echizen washi. Echizen Hoshoshi (越前奉書紙) Echizen Torinokogami (越前鳥子紙) are Echizen washi that nationally-designated Important intangible cultural property.

Types of natural material for Echizen Washi
Washi is made from three main materials such as Kozo, Mitsumata, Gampi. Hemp and wood pulp are also materials.

Echizen Kamisuki Uta (Echizen Paper Making Song)
This folk song has been sung in the Goka area of Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture, which is known as the Echizen washi Village. The "Echizen Paper Making Song" has lyrics that are easy to understand, describing the history of papermaking and how it was done in the past. The song says, “I would like to pass on the job of papermaking, which was given to me by Kawakami Gozen (the god who is said to have introduced papermaking), from parent to child, and from child to grandchild, and continue to make even greater efforts to make better paper with a pure heart and clean water.”

Facilities
Echizen Washi Village The Udatsu Museum and Workshop is one of the only places in Japan where visitors can see traditional artisans using old-fashioned tools and techniques to perform every step of producing washi paper, from preparing the raw materials to shaping each sheet of paper to drying it in the sun outside.
 * Udatsu Museum and Workshop

The origin and history of Echizen Washi, manufacturing process as well as activities related to Japanese paper are displayed by using a lot of materials, panels and paper dolls.
 * Paper & Culture Museum

Visitor can create their own original Japanese paper with their own hands.
 * Papyrus House