Hiromi Paper: The World's Premier Source for Japanese Washi and Fine Art Papers

Hiromi Paper is one of the most extraordinary specialty art supply stores in the United States—a Los Angeles institution dedicated entirely to the art and craft of paper. Since 1982, founder Hiromi Katayama has curated an unparalleled collection of Japanese washi papers, fine art papers, conservation-grade materials, and bookbinding supplies that draws artists, printmakers, conservators, book artists, and paper enthusiasts from around the world to the store's location on South Santa Fe Avenue in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles.

In a retail landscape dominated by general-purpose stores that treat paper as a commodity—something to be purchased by weight, size, and price—Hiromi Paper operates on a fundamentally different philosophy. Here, paper is understood as a living material with its own character, history, and artistic potential. Each sheet in the store has been selected for its specific qualities—its fiber composition, its texture, its weight, its translucency, its strength, its response to different media—and the staff can discuss these properties with a depth of knowledge that reflects over four decades of specialized expertise.

The Art of Japanese Washi

Hiromi Paper's deepest expertise and most distinctive inventory lies in traditional Japanese washi papers. Washi—literally "Japanese paper"—is a category of handmade papers with a history stretching back over 1,300 years, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. These papers are made from the inner bark fibers of specific plants, primarily kozo (mulberry), gampi, and mitsumata, using traditional hand-papermaking techniques that produce sheets with properties unmatched by machine-made Western papers.

Kozo papers, made from mulberry bark fibers, are the most common and versatile washi variety. They are known for their exceptional strength—kozo fibers are among the longest natural fibers used in papermaking, producing sheets that are remarkably strong relative to their weight. Kozo papers are used by artists for printmaking, painting, collage, and mixed media, and by conservators for mending and lining damaged artworks.

Gampi papers are prized for their natural sheen, smooth surface, and resistance to insects and moisture. Gampi is a wild plant that resists cultivation, making gampi papers rarer and more expensive than kozo. The resulting papers have a luminous quality that makes them particularly valued for printmaking and calligraphy.

Mitsumata papers are characterized by their soft, absorbent quality and delicate fiber structure. These papers are often used for fine printing, calligraphy, and artistic applications where a gentle, receptive surface is desired.

Hiromi Paper carries these traditional washi varieties in an extraordinary range of weights, textures, sizes, and finishes—many sourced directly from small Japanese papermaking workshops that have been producing washi for generations. The store's relationships with these makers give it access to papers that are simply unavailable through any other retailer in the Western hemisphere.

Fine Art Papers from Around the World

While Japanese washi is Hiromi's signature specialty, the store also carries an exceptional selection of fine art papers from manufacturers worldwide. The inventory includes professional-grade watercolor papers, printmaking papers (for intaglio, lithography, relief, and screen printing), drawing papers, pastel papers, and specialty papers for specific artistic applications.

The paper selection is curated rather than comprehensive—Hiromi does not attempt to stock every paper from every manufacturer. Instead, the store focuses on papers that represent genuine quality, unique properties, or exceptional value for specific artistic purposes. Every paper in the store has been selected because it offers something worth having—a particular texture, a specific weight, an unusual fiber composition, or a combination of properties that makes it suited for a particular creative application.

For artists who understand that paper choice directly affects the quality of their work—and who want access to papers that go beyond the standard options available at general art supply stores—Hiromi's curated selection is invaluable.

Conservation and Bookbinding Materials

Hiromi Paper serves the conservation and bookbinding communities with the same depth of expertise and quality commitment that characterizes its fine art paper offerings. The store carries archival-grade papers for conservation mending and lining, conservation adhesives, mending tissues, Japanese tissue papers in various weights for different conservation applications, and specialized bookbinding supplies including cover papers, endpapers, binding boards, and tools.

For professional conservators working in museums, libraries, and private practice, Hiromi is an essential source for the specialized materials that conservation work demands. The staff understand archival standards and conservation best practices, and they can advise on material selection for specific conservation projects—recommending the appropriate paper weight and fiber type for mending a fragile watercolor, the right adhesive for a particular binding repair, or the best tissue for lining a damaged print.

Book artists and fine press printers also find Hiromi indispensable. The store's selection of handmade papers, specialty cover materials, and bookbinding supplies supports the creation of artist books, limited editions, and fine press publications that demand materials of exceptional quality and character.

The In-Store Experience

Visiting Hiromi Paper is an experience unlike any other in art supply retail. The store is organized by paper type, origin, and application, creating a browsing experience that feels more like exploring a curated gallery of materials than shopping in a retail store. Sheets of handmade washi are displayed so that their textures, translucencies, and fiber patterns can be appreciated visually and tactilely. The atmosphere encourages careful examination—picking up sheets, holding them to the light, feeling their surfaces, and understanding their properties through direct sensory experience.

The staff are genuine paper experts with decades of accumulated knowledge. They can discuss the differences between specific washi varieties with the precision of a sommelier describing wines—explaining how the fiber length of a particular kozo affects its strength, how the beating process influences a paper's surface texture, or how a specific gampi paper's natural sizing affects its response to watercolor washes. This level of expertise transforms a shopping trip into an educational experience.

The store's location in the Los Angeles Arts District places it within a vibrant creative neighborhood, surrounded by galleries, studios, and creative businesses. For visiting artists, a trip to Hiromi Paper can be combined with exploration of one of Los Angeles' most dynamic art communities.

The Bottom Line

Hiromi Paper represents the pinnacle of specialized art supply retail. The store's singular focus on exceptional papers—particularly Japanese washi—combined with over four decades of expertise, direct relationships with traditional papermakers, conservation-grade materials, and staff whose knowledge of paper is genuinely world-class, creates a resource that is irreplaceable for artists, printmakers, conservators, and book artists who understand that the quality of their paper is fundamental to the quality of their work. For anyone who cares deeply about paper, Hiromi Paper is not just a store—it is a destination.