| Summary: | <i>Kozo</i> paper, <i>usu-mino-gami</i>, is frequently used as the first back lining paper of hanging scrolls in order to support the main paper with a painting or a work of calligraphy on it. To dye it an appropriate color, paper is often treated with an alkali mordant solution. However, current <i>kozo</i> paper products have received such comments from conservators that wet tensile strength is weak and hard to handle. Therefore, improving the wet tensile strength of <i>kozo</i> paper is required. In previous papers, the effect of the sheet forming method, cooking condition, and parenchyma cell content between fibers on the wet tensile strength of <i>kozo</i> paper has been investigated. In this paper, the effect of glucuronoxylan, the main component of hardwood hemicellulose on the wet tensile strength of <i>kozo</i> paper was investigated. The wet tensile strength of <i>kozo</i> paper, when made in different cooking conditions, was evaluated using the Finch device. Glucuronoxylan content in fiber was analyzed using GC-FID. According to the results, it has been proved that glucuronoxylan content (with a xylan to glucan molar ratio of 4.43% to 5.16%) itself contributes to the wet tensile strength of the <i>kozo</i> sheet. Therefore, to increase the wet tensile strength of <i>kozo</i> paper, it is recommended to cook under milder conditions, thus retaining a higher amount of glucuronoxylan in the pulp.
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