Meanings
- Paperbush, any of various species of shrubs in the genus Edgeworthia native to Asia that may be used to make paper.
Mitsumata has been used for paper since about 1600 CE. It is one of three main fiber types used for making Japanese paper.
2016 May 1, “Mitsumata”, in CAMEO: Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online, retrieved 04 Mar 20201 more example
Moreover, the fibres of Ganpi and Mitsumata are not strong enough singly, yet they are extensively used with other coarse raw materials in order to give the tenderness, smoothness, and lustre to paper of low quality.
1893, Bureau of Commerce and Industry, Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Japan, Details of the Industrial Specimens Exposed at the World’s Colombian Exposition, page 80
Origin
From Japanese 三椏(みつまた) (mitsumata, “paperbush”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
mitsumata. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitsumata
“mitsumata.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitsumata. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mitsumata,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitsumata.
Source: mitsumata on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.