Old woodblock reprinting Musashino Art University, Center for Art and Design, “Saga Hon Chant Book Restoration Project”.

Exploring the Beauty of Saga-bon Chant Books: Project to Restore an Old Typeset Edition of "Mii Temple"

Kenji Takenaka participated in the “Saga-bon Chant Book Restoration,” a related project of the Musashino Art University Center for Art and Design's research project “Comprehensive Study of Letter Printing Culture in Early Modern Japan,” by reproducing and verifying the technical aspects as a practitioner of contemporary woodblock printing.

The Saga-bon chant book (also known as “Koetsu chant book”) is said to have been published by Kadokura Soan and others during the Keicho era (1596-1615). This set of one hundred chapters is characterized by the use of mica, gofun, and colored paper for the paper and binding, wooden typefaces in the Koetsu style of calligraphy, and the use of decorative column binding, all of which give the book an elegant design unmatched in the history of Japanese printing culture.

This restoration project aims to reveal the production techniques of the period, from the creation of wooden type based on handwritten block prints, to paper making, paper making, typesetting, printing, and bookbinding, through contemporary handicrafts.

Issei Nojima, an engraver, and Kenji Takenaka, a printer, are participating in the research from Takezasa-do. Since the wooden typefaces and printing presses used in those days have not been discovered, we proposed a method of restoration based on the technical experience we have accumulated through our woodblock reprinting project.

Musashino Art University Center for Art and Design 
“A Comprehensive Study of Literary Printing Culture in Early Modern Japan” 
(2014 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Private University Strategic Research Infrastructure Formation Support Program, Research Representative: Professor Minoru Niijima) 

• [Related Projects] 
  ◆Saga Hon Chant Book Restoration Project 
  Tatsuo Oiri Production Manager / President, Oiri Inc. 
  Kenji Takenaka Text-suriri/ Kenji Takenaka, Text printing/ Takezasa-do, Representative Director 
  Issei Nojima, Wood type engraving/ Takezasa-do, Ltd. 
  Hiroshi Kado, Cover mica printing/ Kamiizoe 
  Takako Ishigaki, Gomaboshi/ Musashino Art University, Part-time lecturer, Department of Visual Communication Design 
  Tomoko Yoshida, Production progress/ Daiiri Co. 
• ◆Planning and supervision 
  Minoru Niijima, Research project director, Professor, Musashino Art University, Department of Visual Communication Design 
  Yusaku Terayama, Professor, Department of Visual Communication Design, Musashino Art University