View source for Glossary of Japanese book terminology


Numerous specialist terms can be used when discussing the parts or elements of [[Japanese books]], as well as genres of publishing, types or styles of bookbinding, and aspects of the publishing process.

*''Baren''  馬連 or 馬楝	- a small handheld [[lacquerware]] disc, covered in a thin slip of bamboo, use to impress paper into an inked woodblock
*''[[Bukan]]'' 武鑑 - guides to samurai houses
*''Chitsu'' 秩 - a stiff box in which books could be stored.
*''Chûbon'' 中本 (lit. "medium books") - a common size of traditional Japanese books. Roughly half the size of ''ôhon''.
*''Detchôsô'' 粘葉装 - a style of bookbinding known as "butterfly binding." An accordion book (see ''orihon'') which rather than being simply folded, has been pasted both to form a spine, and along the outer edge to avoid blank pages. Also known as ''kochôsô''.
*''Dôsa'' 礬水 - a sizing material made from alum and hide glue, often used to burnish book covers, offering some protection from dirt, water, and other damage
*Fascicle - a single bound volume. The English term "volume" can be ambiguous, often referring not to physical bound volumes, but to the way content is organized, akin to "chapters" or "parts." The term "fascicle" by contrast refers to the actual, physical, bound object, i.e. how many volumes (how many fascicles) a work is divided into, or how many are on a shelf.
*''Fukurotoji'' 袋綴 (lit. "bag bound") - the most common traditional style of bookbinding. Pages are folded such that the fold becomes the outside edge of the page. Pages are then joined at the spine with paper screws called ''neji'', and covers are sewn on with thread.
*''Gajôsô'' 画帖装 - "album binding". A style of bookbinding in which folded pages are glued at the outer edges, without being pasted or otherwise joined together at the spine.
*''[[Gampi]]'' 雁皮 - a type of paper
*''Gedai'' 外題 ("outside title") - a title written on the outside front cover of a book, typically on a separate slip of paper glued onto the top left corner of the cover.
*''[[Gokan|Gôkan]]'' 合巻 - a type or format of illustrated serial novels, very popular in the 19th century
*''Gyobi'' 魚尾 (lit. "fishtail") - the title of a book as written on the ''hashira''.
*''Gyôji'' - guild censors or licensing coordinators
*''[[Hachimonji-ya|Hachimonjiyabon]]'' 八文字屋本 - a certain sub-genre of ''ukiyo-e'' books produced by the Hachimonji-ya publisher in Kyoto
*''Hangi'' 版木 - a woodblock
*''Hangiya'' 板木屋 - a blockcutter
*''Hanmoto'' 版元 or 板元 - the owner of a set of woodblocks, and thus owner of the right to print new copies of the work. Often not indicated explicitly in the ''kanki'', but most often is the publisher listed last (furthest to the left).
*''Hanpon'' 版本 (lit. "printed books") - books printed by woodblock printing methods
*''Hanshibon'' 半紙本 (lit. "half paper books") - a common size of traditional Japanese books, roughly 9x6 in.
*''Hanshin'' 版心 (lit. "heart of the printing block") - see ''hashira''.
*''Hanshita'' 版下 - the guide drawing from which woodblocks were cut
*''Hanshitagaki'' 版下書 - a copyist who created designs from which blockcutters (''hangiya'') made the woodblocks
*''Hashira'' 柱 (lit. "pillar") - the outer edge of a page in a ''fukurotoji'' book, along the fold. Located at the center of each printed page, and then folded to become the outside edge, these often contain the title of the book, volume number, and page number. Also called ''hanshin''.
*''Jôshi'' 上梓 - to print, to publish
*''Kabusebori'' 被せ彫り - a method of recreating woodblocks (or creating unlicensed copies) from a finished work, by using published pages as ''hanshita''.
*''Kaihan negai'' 改版願い - an application by a publisher to the censors, for permission to publish a given work
*''Kaisen'' 界線 - black lines bordering the printed area. Absent in Chinese books, and in Japanese books emulating the appearance of Chinese books.
*''Kanki'' 刊記 - the colophon; a page at the end of a book listing out publishing information including the names of the author, publisher(s), ''hanmoto'', and sometimes of the illustrator, block-carver, and/or printer, as well as the year of the blockcutting<ref>Note that the year the blocks were cut does not necessarily match the year a book was printed. Books were often (re)printed years or even decades later, while retaining the same original date in the colophon.</ref>, address(es) of the publisher(s), and/or other such information. Also called ''okutsuke''.
*''Kansubon'' 巻子本 - a "book" bound as a handscroll
*''Kashihonya'' 貸本屋 - a booklender
*''Katsuji'' 活字 - moveable type
*''[[Kawaraban]]'' 瓦版 - a type of very cheap single-sheet prints, produced on cheap paper, often relating news or gossip
*''Kentô'' 見当 - registration marks; small corner-shaped marks used to help ensure that paper and woodblock were lined up precisely for printing 
*''[[Kibyôshi]]'' 黄表紙 (lit. "yellow covers") - a type or format of illustrated popular literature books
*''Kobon'' 小本 (lit. "small books") - a common size for traditional Japanese books. Roughly 6x5 inches.
*''Kochôsô'' 胡蝶装 (lit. "butterfly binding") - see ''detchôsô''.
*''[[Kozo|Kôzo]]'' 楮 - paper mulberry, or the paper made from it
*''Kurokuchi'' 黒口 (lit. "black mouth" or "black box") - a small black square often found on the ''hashira''.
*''Makimono'' 巻物 - a scroll
*''Mashi'' 麻紙 - hemp paper
*''Masugatabon'' 桝形本 (lit. "square shape books") - a common traditional size of Japanese books. One-sixth the size of a full sheet of paper when closed, and square in dimensions. Also known as ''mutsuhanbon''.
*''[[Mitsumata]]'' 三俣 - a type of paper
*''Mutsuhanbon'' 六半本 (lit. "one sixth books") - see ''masugatabon''.
*''Naidai'' 内題 ("inside title") - a title written on the inside of the front cover of a book. Does not always match the ''gedai'' ("outside title") found on the outside of the cover.
*''Neji'' 螺子 - screws made of paper which are used to hold a ''fukurotoji'' book together at the spine.
*''Ôbon'' 大本 (lit. "large books") - the largest of the standard sizes of traditional Japanese books. Roughly 10x7 in.
*''Okutsuke'' 奥付 (lit. "attached in the back") - see ''kanki''.
*''Orihon'' 折本 - accordion books. Folded books, which can be unfolded one page at a time, or multiple pages at a time.
*''Recto'' and ''verso'' - Latin terms commonly used to identify pages when they're not numbered in the modern fashion. Each physical page, i.e. each leaf, is numbered as "front" (''recto'') and "back" (''verso''). For example, where the first pages of a book might normally be numbered page 1, page 2, page 3, many Japanese books have only one number printed on each leaf. Thus, the pages might be referred to (cited) as 1 ''recto'', 1 ''verso'', 2 ''recto'', and so forth. In Japanese, these are typically given as オ (''o'' for ''omote'', for "front" or ''verso'') and ウ (''u'' for ''ura'', meaning "reverse" or ''verso''). 
*''Retsujôsô'' 列帖装 - a traditional East Asian style of binding similar to Western modes. Pages are nestled inside one another to form packets or bundles; multiple packets or bundles are then tightly sewn together to form a rigid spine. Also known as ''tetchôsô'' and ''Yamato toji''.
*''[[Saga-bon]]'' 嵯峨本 - a short-lived style or type of art book, produced by [[Honami Koetsu|Hon'ami Kôetsu]] c. 1590s-1600s, using wooden moveable type blocks.
*''Sasshihon'' 冊子本 - a book bound as a book, i.e. in contrast to a scroll
*''Shahon'' 写本 - a manuscript. A book or document that's been handwritten or handpainted, rather than printed.
*''[[Sharebon]]'' 洒落本 - a category or type of humorous publications
*''Shita-e'' 下絵 ("under drawing") - a mock-up or first draft
*''Shorin [[nakama]]'' 書林仲間 - publishers' guilds
*''[[Surimono]]'' 摺物 - a particular type of high-quality, luxury single-sheet woodblock prints
*''Tetchôsô'' 綴葉装 - lit. "bound leaf binding". See ''retsujôsô''.
*''Utaibon'' 謡本 - books containing the text of [[Noh]] plays, for practicing or performing Noh chant (''utai'').
*''Wabun'' 和文 - "Japanese writing". Text in a Japanese style, as opposed to ''[[kanbun]]'' (a form closely resembling [[classical Chinese]]).
*''Wahon'' 和本 - a book bound in a traditional Japanese manner
*''Yamato toji'' 大和綴 - lit. "Japanese binding." A style of binding invented in China. Not nearly as common in Japan as ''fukurotoji'' binding. See ''retsujôsô''.
*''Yokohon'' 横本 (lit. "horizontal books") - a standard size of traditional Japanese books. One-eighth the size of a full sheet of paper when closed, this was the most common size for books which were longer (i.e. wider) than they were high, resulting in a long horizontal form when open.
*''Yomihon'' 読本 (lit. "reading books") - a type or format of books heavy on readable text (with interspersed illustrations).
*''Yôsôbon'' 洋装本 - a book bound in the Western/modern manner
*''Yotsuhanbon'' 四半本 (lit. "one quarter books") - perhaps the most common size of traditional Japanese books. When closed, the book was 1/4 the size of a standard sheet of paper.
*''Yotsumetoji'' 四つ目綴じ - a ''fukurotoji'' book with four holes where the cover is sewn on. The most common style of ''fukurotoji'' book; less commonly, a cover might be sewn on with five or six holes.
*''Zôhan'' 蔵版 - to possess woodblocks, i.e. copyright
*''Zuihitsu'' 随筆 - collections of essays, or miscellaneous writings

==Notes==
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[[Category:Historical Documents]]
[[Category:Art and Architecture]]
[[Category:Terminology]]