Introduction to Kome-kami

We have named the paper material made from upcycled rice, such as rice that can no longer be consumed, "kome-kami" (rice paper), which was developed as the first edition of food loss paper. This material is made by upcycling various types of rice that are not suitable for consumption, such as expired rice, alpha rice used for stockpiling, crushed rice generated by manufacturers, and rice that cannot be used for food at home or during distribution. These types of rice are transformed into paper material through the process of upcycling.

Traditionally in Japan, there has been a connection between rice and paper.

The paper manufacturing method was introduced in 610 AD. The oldest paper manufactured in Japan is located in Shosoin, Nara Prefecture. During the Nara period, there was a growing demand for it to be used as a material for copying sutras, and Japan will continue to evolve uniquely. As a rule of letters in the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333), there was a rule that samurai use paper using rice and a court noble use paper that does not use rice. In the Edo period(1603 – 1868), a wide variety of rice-filled paper was born and seems to have been used for ukiyo-e, important documents, and recycled paper. However, after the Edo period, such a culture disappeared for efficiency.

Through kome-kami, we also aim to introduce this culture of "mottainai" (not letting anything go to waste) that has existed since the Edo period to as many people as possible.

Rich texture to feel rice

The rich texture of the paper itself is combined with the texture of rice to create a rough yet moist, contradictory surface. The color has become a natural whiteness reminiscent of freshly picked glossy rice. In Japan, rice had been used as a raw material for paper until the Edo period(1603 – 1868). It is a traditional yet new material that inherits the “Mottainai” spirit of Edo priod.“Mottainai” is a Japanese traditional word roughly translated to mean “what a waste.” We hold immense power over the environments we live in, and each of us has a responsibility to take care of this planet. ( In Japan, kome means rice and kami means paper.)Kome-kami is also FSC-certified and further considers the environment.