Japanese Paper Lexicon

Chronology 300 B.C. - Earliest evidence of a writing surface make from silk floss in China.
100 B.C. - Paper was probably produced in China
105 A.D. - Ts'ai Lun, a Han Dynasty official, is generally credited with inventing the first "true" paper. The basic papermaking methods he developed are still used today for many Japanese papers.
300 A.D. - Paper made in cases in Central Asia.
500 A.D. - Spread of paper making techniques to Korea by paper artisans.
610 A.D. - A priest by the name of Ramjing travels to Japan, from Korea, to teach the art of making brushes, ink and paper.
Naming Structure The names of Japanese paper generally refer to the fiber base utilized, papermaking technique, papermaking family, paper description, or the purpose for which the paper was originally used. A part of the name often includes a term denoting paper. These terms include kami, gami and shi.
Aizome Literally, indigo (ai) dyed (zome). Traditional aizome came in shades of pale blue (asagi), light blue (hanadairu), and dark blue (kon). Today, aizome are still dyed with natural colorings but are not limited to shades of blue. Much of the aizome produced comes from the Tokushima, formerly known as Awa, area of Japan.