Stirring and speck removal

Water is added to a lidless wooden box called a zaburi-bune until it is full. The beaten white bark is then placed inside, then a large bamboo rake is used to stir the mixture forwards and backwards. This completely loosens and disperses the fibres. Next, a small piece of bamboo (or a chopstick, in this case) with a small bent piece of wire attached to its tip is used to remove small pieces of detritus one by one. Once all of the specks are gone, an opening on the bottom of the vat is opened, and the water is removed. The white fibres are collected in a cloth bag attached to the mouth of the opening. This is the final and most important step in creating high-quality paper pulp. This image shows some of the flecks and specks that have been removed