The Pillar: Traditional Japanese Fukurotoji Bookbindings

Traditional Japanese bindings are a bit different from the Western bindings we are accustomed to. The easiest way to describe them, is that they are used exactly the opposite from how we use our books. They are opened from left to right and read from right to left in columns. A book that recently came through the lab was bound in the opposite manner too – the pages were folded, but the loose edges comprised the spine with the folds at the fore edge. The paper was a soft, medium weight Mulberry, the same type of paper we use for mending.

The Pillar: Traditional Japanese Fukurotoji Bookbindings

Japanese Bookbinding, Fukuro-toji: Outer Binding, Kangxi

Japanese Bookbinding, Fukuro-toji: Making the Covers

Japan - BOUND BY TRADITION

Japanese Bookbinding, Fukuro-toji: Outer Binding, Kangxi

Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions From A Master Craftsman

Bound by Tradition: Physical Bibliography of East Asian

Japanese books - SamuraiWiki

Japanese books - SamuraiWiki

Kitagawa Utamaro Myriad Birds: Picture Book of Playful Verse

Japanese Bookbinding, Fukuro-toji: Making the Covers

Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild - 2019WKSP-24 Japanese

Japan - BOUND BY TRADITION

Fig. 2 Fukurotoji binding showing silk reinforcement at corner

Japanese Bookbinding, Fukuro-toji: Outer Binding, Hemp-Leaf