What is TRI-Funori™?

TRI-Funori™ is derived from two species (Gloiopeltis furcata and Gloiopeltis tenax) of red seaweed (“funori” in Japanese) harvested along the coast of Japan. The key component of the seaweed is a unique polysaccharide starch. A conservation product that is effective in three distinct areas of application: as a fixative, as a cleaning agent, and as a light adhesive.

We import the raw untreated funori directly from Japanese harvesters and extract the starchy material using simple sun bleaching and mechanical processes. The characteristic that makes this polysaccharide starch valuable is its interesting ability to bind large amounts of water relative to its mass.                                                    

This means that it does not wet the surface to which it is applied. In turn, it does not mobilize salts and therefore does not leave tide lines. As a fixative, it dries matte. As an adhesive, it is fully reversible with water. These performance characteristics are why funori has had such a long tradition of use in the conservation of books, paper and art objects.