Isao Nakamura was born in Kaminaka-cho, Haigyu in Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands. This area of Tokushima has a long-standing tradition of washi (Japanese paper) making. His father and other craftsmen in Haigyu taught Nakamura the traditional techniques of washi throughout his youth. As the number of craftsmen able to create Haigyu washi began to dwindle, Nakamura chose to dedicate his life to the paper making techniques from his hometown. He employs traditional methods and materials and does not use industrial chemicals like bleach to produce the textures and colours in his paper.

He harnesses natural resources from Haigyu in the process of production. Mountain water from a nearby stream is used for washing the paper, and the winter sun and snow gives the washi it’s pure white colour. To create coloured paper Nakamura uses methods dating back hundreds of years to achieve a few unique colours: indigo, cherry blossom pink, and to create brown he uses the juice of unripe persimmons known as kaki-shibu.