Site of the Kamisukijo (papermaking plant) from the Ryukyu Kingdom era to early Showa. Also called the Takaraguchi paper place.

Basic information

Address

903-0821 4-45 Gibo Shuri Naha Okinawa

Business hours

Nothing in particular

Close day

Nothing in particular

Charge

Free

Parking

None

Access information

A 4-minute walk from the ”Yui Rail" station Gibo.

Additional Information

Academic information

Here is the site of the Kamisukijo (papermaking plant) from the Ryukyu Kingdom era to early Showa. Also called the Takaraguchi paper place. The techniques used in making paper in Ryukyu were learned by Omitakehyobu in 1686 in Kagoshima. After his return in 1695, he was bestowed the residential land in Kinjo village, Shuri, (Kinjo paper factory) and began to make "Sugihara-gami"(Sugihara-paper) "Momota-gami" (Momota-paper). In 1717, different kinds of paper, including paper for calligraphy and office use, were produced in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, after receiving support from the government at the new Yamagawa paper plant, from mulberry and aoganpi tree fibers as well as banana leaf fibers.
The Takaraguchi paper plant built the “Takaraguchi” in a building in Gibo, Shuri, in 1840, as a paper-making area, and took up making paper from mulberry tree fibers, after the production had been discontinued elsewhere. From this point on, paper-making from mulberry tree fibers was made at Takaraguchi, and paper-making from banana leaf fibers was made at Yamagawa. A government office called Kamiza supervised the production of paper. Although this office was closed in 1879, when Ryukyu was annexed by Japan, paper production continued in this area in private hands.

Quote

Naha City Museum of History