Production area of Inshū washi paper, Aoya district

Aoya town faces the Sea of Japan, and as the Aoya-Kamijichi Archeological Site suggests, it has been a prosperous town since ancient times. Washi paper production developed along the Hikigawa River basin. Although the origin of Inshu washi is uncertain, a document with the seal of the Inaba province (part of present-day Tottori prefecture) is found on eighth-century documents in the collection of the Soshoin repository. Furthermore, a medieval historical record called the Engishiki (compiled between 905 and 927) records that paper from the Inaba province was presented to the Imperial court. These references suggest the history of Inshu washi goes back more than 1200 years.