Shoji Japanese paper (Japanese: shojigami) is a diaphanous, tear resistant paper which is used for stretching across lightweight wooden frames which can then serve as windows, (sliding) doors, room dividers or lamps. But Shoji paper can also be used for making pictorial representations with ink – for example, for calligraphy or for printing (wood cuts).

Traditionally, high quality Shoji paper is mainly comprised of fibres from the inner bark of the mulberry tree (Kozo). Because there is only a limited amount of this valuable raw material and because the production process is very involved (see also mulberry paper), real mulberry tree paper is very expensive. For this reason, most basic Shoji paper contains up to 60 – 80 % pulp (chemical wood pulp) together with a mixture of viscose or synthetic fibres like, for example, polyester. Both of the synthetic fibre types are longer than the wood fibres of pulp and therefore the tear resistance of the paper using them is increased. A higher proportion of synthetic fibres also has the effect that the basic Shoji paper will not expand or contract as much as a result of climate changes and will maintain its integrity even when moist.

Treatment: In order to tightly cover a wooden frame you will only need a Shoji paper, an appropriate glue and a SPRAY BOTTLE filled with water so you can spray it on the glued paper and thereby attain the right tension. No stiffening varnish will be necessary. Gluing work can be done with the ready-to-use JAPANESE STARCH GLUE or WALLPAPER PASTE – please note that the latter must be mixed into a viscous solution using water in a ration of 1:20. You should also have the following on hand: a wide BRISTLE BRUSH (MODLER), a sponge, a cutter (e.g. the SHOJI PAPER CUTTER WITH ROUNDED BLADE), and a long straight edge. Glue strips for temporarily affixing the paper on the frame are usually included in the package containing the roll of Shoji paper.

If the frame intended for covering is a lot smaller that the Shoji paper roll, the paper should be roughly cut to size (about 2 cm wider than appears necessary). Ideally, you should then position the frame on a table which is covered with a clean, soft material.

Place the Shoji paper in a parallel direction on the upper edge of the frame and afffix it in the middle with a glue strip. Then unroll the paper, align it as exactly as you can parallel to the frame edges and affix it to the upper edge with two glue strips. Before applying the paste to the frame, the Shoji paper should be rolled back up.

You should then moisten, by means of a sponge, the areas of the frame that are to be glued in order to avoid having the paste dry or permeate too quickly. The paste should then be applied, working from the inner to the outer members. When applying the paste you should place the bottle with the guide stop (the pin next to the opening) on the edge and pull it along the wooden strip with an even motion and light pressure so that the paste will come out in the approximate thickness of spaghetti.

An even application is very important because if there are any places where there is either too much or too little paste it can lead to folds or wrinkles in the Shoji paper. Be especially careful at the frame joints! In the case of irregular application of the paste, a brush can be used to distribute it more evenly. Now you should unroll the Shoji paper slowly from the roll and at the same time press it into place along the pasted areas. Do not try to pull the glued paper smooth because that too can cause wrinkles or folds. When done with that, you should affix the paper to the underside of the frame using the glue strips. If the Shoji paper is not positioned exactly right at this time that presents no real problem.

As soon as the paste is half dry (the paper will become white again at the glued areas), you can cut parallel to the frame any extra overlapping Shoji paper by means of a cutter and a straight edge. A particularly good tool for this work is the SHOJI PAPER CUTTER WITH ROUNDED BLADE because its blade can cut even moist paper cleanly and without tearing into it. After the paste is completely dry the paper will probably still sag a bit. You should then evenly moisten the paper surface by means of the WATER SPRAYER (as you would when ironing). As the Shoji paper subsequently dries, it will pull itself taught on its own into a nice flat surface.

The best results when mounting paper on a frame can be achieved when the individual areas of the frame are not larger than A4. This is particularly true in the case of the MADOCA Japanese papers with their plastic coating and plastic middle layer, respectively.