It is mentioned in an official document Engishiki in the Heian period (794-1192) that Tosa Washi paper was dedicated to the emperor, which indicates Tosa (present-day Kochi Prefecture) was already a paper producing center as early as 1,000 years ago. Blessed with good water and materials, paper making in this district was flourished. With the support of the domain loads during the Edo period (1603-1868), papermaking became one of the main industries of Tosa. “Tosa Nanairogami,” a set of seven sheets of paper in different colors, was created in this period and presented to the Shogunate. With the introduction of foreign paper in the Meiji period, handmade paper industry has declined nationwide. However, handmade paper is still a firm favorite among professional people as well as people at large. Tosa Washi handmade paper of Kochi is especially famous for its large variety of high quality paper. “Tosa Tengujo-shi,” the thinnest paper in the world, and “Tosa Seicho-shi,” the high quality office paper, were nationally designated as an Intangible Cultural Property. Also the handmade paper of Kochi Prefecture was designated as a Traditional Handicraft “Tosa Washi” in 1976.