Our Hometown ”Kuzu”

This village where we can live is close to the mountain of Yoshino and the river Yoshino.This beautiful nature, especially the beautiful water, is one of the reasons why papermaking has taken root in the land of Kuzu.

It was about 1300 years ago that villager of Kuzu was taught of papermaking from
the Prince Ooama ( later Emperor Tenmu) when he entered this area.
Junichiro Tanizaki who is very famous writer was really impressed the
pure whiteness of Washi. The scenery of drying the paper was written in his novel
“Yoshino Kuzu” as follows.

“When the village houses came into view, the first thing that caught my eye was
Here, it was a piece of paper that had been dried under the eaves of his place.
Glittering on a low and cold day.When I saw him reflecting, he cried without anything … ”
We want to cherish this beautiful landscape forever.

According to the first historically written book “ Nihon-shoki” , Kuzu’s soil came from from Kyoto.
Located on the banks of the Yoshino River across the mountain in the southeast,
It is rugged and deep in the valley.

In the Nara period, Prince Ooumi avoids conflict in the face of the “Jinshin War”,
I was retired from Otsunomiya (near capital at that time)to Kuzu.
Kuzu’s villager serve the prince, one theory is to hide the prince in a small boat by the river
It is said that it was protected from the chase. The relationship between the ancient court and the
Kuzu people is the venerable performing art “Kuzu Kanade”.
It is also remembered by the lyrics of the third song.