About

Hatakami is the brand of paper only made in Birtamode, Nepal by us, the Sitaula family.

The Sitaulas are multi-generational papermaking experts regarded as leading craftspeople in our field.

We make consistently clean, smooth, strong, dimensionally stable, acid-free papers for fine-art, printmaking, calligraphy and general craft. And bookbinders, because it is handmade there is no grain direction. 

Hatakami can be used with inks, paints, pencil and other media including some digital print processes. Because the paper is not made with the same fibres as western paper you may need to do some experimentation to learn how it best works and reacts with your chosen media. It can be quite absorbant with inks so be prepared for that!

The attention to detail taken in every step of the manufacturing process from harvesting, cleaning, cooking and beating the fibre to couching the sheets one by one and drying them individually on wooden boards in the sunshine followed by a thorough inspection for perfection of weight, thickness, cleanliness and fibre distribution means that each sheet you will use is of the very highest standard every time. Any sheets which do not reach our exacting standards are rejected.

The quality of our paper is far beyond that normally associated with paper produced elsewhere in the country. We make it entirely by hand using traditional Nepalese materials and techniques.

Many papers sourced from Nepal are made without these standards or even any real papermaking experience or integrity. Indeed many papers purporting to be "lokta" papers are in fact made from old newspapers and grass and the term "lokta" is now reduced to a generic term for all Nepalese paper without any indication of identity, provenance or standard. We view this as a disgrace and a total disregard and lack of respect for our craft. This is one of the reasons Nepalese paper sometimes has a reputation for being at best "folksy" or at worst, bad...

We completely reject these poor standards and dissassociate ourselves from them. We guarantee you that Hatakami is an excellent, carefully made product of which we are humbly proud.  

Our paper can only be sourced directly from Hatakami. 

MATERIALS

Genuine Hatakami is made from two types of fibre; sethbarau and argeli (both sometimes generically referred to as "lokta").     

Both are harvested from indigenous plants found in the wild. They are not farm grown and so their use is not linked to any type of intensive agricultural methods or over use of natural resource. Indeed they are recognised as one of the world's most underused natural resources and they can be reharvested every 3 to 4 years without any impact to the environment. 

Sethbarua is found at high altitude in the Himalayas and other mountainous regions. It is regarded as the best quality, first choice fibre. Paper made with sethbarau has been made for over 1000 years and examples of this type of paper from this era still exist such is the longevity and quality associated with it. Sethbarua has a natural sheen and its long, strong fibres make very strong paper. These characteristics are not dissimilar to Japanese kozo washi paper.

Argeli is used in papermaking in Nepal, China and Japan and is perhaps more commonly known as mitsumata to some - it's the same thing. It is found at lower altitudes and makes a softer surface paper.

Sometimes we use a blend of these two fibres to produce paper with specific qualities. 

The water we use is fresh and clean. The source is melted snow from the Himalayas. 

ETHICS & HOW WE WORK

First and foremost our constant ambition is to create shared success for all of our craftspeople driven by the excellence of our product.

Creating the best quality paper for artists throughout the world leads to us being able to provide excellent working standards and pay far in excess of the national living wage for all of our employees.

The Sitaulas employ only adult males and females on equal pay and working conditions. We do not discriminate in any way based on gender, age, disability, race or religion. We also provide free accomodation including heating, plumbing and electricity for our out-of-area or seasonal staff. We hope that the introduction of our decorative paper manufacturing studio will reduce our seasonal staff requirement so that we can employ our staff on a year round basis to promote employment and personal economic stability. 

We achieve these high standards because we supply the best quality Hatakami papers direct to the end user from here in Nepal, the UK or Australia.

This means that we can avoid using the myriad of middlemen and wholesalers traditionally associated with the paper trade here which halts any delay in paying our team and frankly allows us to benefit from direct retail sales rather than the low, slow-paying wholesale rates.

Our mill is open to the public when global conditions allow and we welcome visitors with open arms and a cup of tea!

WORKSHOPS

Part of our mission is to celebrate and educate in our beloved traditions and handicrafts. We are extemely proud of our heritage and we wish to share the skills of our artisan men and women.

We are currently planning a papermaking workshop which will cover every aspect of making Hatakami from harvesting and preparing the fibres, making and drying the sheets and decorating papers for use in the arts and crafts. You will work hand in hand with the craftspeople here at the mill and we hope make lifelong friendships too. 

As part of the programme you will also visit the local tea plantations and perhaps even the foothills of the Himalayas which can be seen from the mill. 

We hope to hold the next workshop in December 2021.