{"title":"all items","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"carbon-butterfly","title":"CARBON BUTTERFLY","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eMade by Czech craftsmen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt looks like it will break if you touch it\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel airplane.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eA rubber band-powered airplane made by a Czech craftsman. It was called the Carbon Butterfly.\u003cbr\u003eThe wings and tail of the aircraft, which weighs just 1.8 grams, are covered with a thin Mylar film that glitters faintly like an insect's wings, making it truly beautiful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally, it was designed for playing indoors, such as in the living room, or in indoor halls.\u003cbr\u003eIt was made by the Czech company IKARA as a model airplane specifically for \u0026quot;home flying.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003eMy first encounter with it was at Yoshida Aircraft in Gifu about 10 years ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYoshida, who has seen model airplanes from all over the world, was amazed at how exquisite this is, saying, \u0026quot;It's unprecedented to see such a delicate model airplane, and in a finished state.\u0026quot; However, while he was planning to introduce it in FRAGILE BOOKS, it went out of print. The previous owner passed away, and it is no longer possible to make them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI repeatedly asked Yoshida if it would be possible to reprint the \u0026quot;Carbon Butterfly\u0026quot; in Japan, but it seems that reproducing the carbon material in particular is quite difficult, so the idea was put on hold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo, unfortunately, I can’t give in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39797350465704,"sku":"","price":50000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/carbonbutterfly_02.jpg?v=1649661834"},{"product_id":"bloom","title":"Bloom","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e In Paris\u003cspan class=\"s1\" style=\"outline: currentcolor none medium;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"outline: currentcolor none medium;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eBlooming paper flowers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTo my loved ones\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA gift of flowers that never wither.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAt first glance, it looks like a small, folded picture book, but it is actually a three-dimensional book with flowers spreading out in 360 degrees.\u003c\/span\u003eAlthough this is a silent picture book without any words, the flowers' visual impression changes greatly depending on the angle, and they show a wealth of expressions, as if they are speaking to people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eJulie Safirstein, a popular French female creator who has even performed installations at Hermes in Paris, continues to expand the possibilities of her vivid sense of color and various materials, including paper.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis book was published by Edition du Livre, which has the concept of \u0026quot;Artist Book for Children.\u0026quot; Alexandre Chez, director of Edition du Livre, said that he paid the most attention to the printing process for this book, using five different shades of white.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe way the petals spread out in your hands is so beautiful and open that just looking at them makes you feel cheerful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis genuine flower is perfect for birthday celebrations or as a small gift.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Ema Otobe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026gt;Julie Safirstein's official website is\u003ca title=\"http:\/\/www.juliesafirstein.com\/\" href=\"http:\/\/www.juliesafirstein.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39797362327720,"sku":"","price":4180.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/bloom_04.jpg?v=1648612661"},{"product_id":"chair1","title":"Chair","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA book to lean on.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«Chair» \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf you were to sit in this chair, the rounded layers of paper would gently envelop your back. It is as if the book has forgotten that it is a book and has chosen to exist as a part of the chair of its own accord.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe extremely beautiful curves created by gravity give a rich expression to this otherwise ordinary chair. The angle of the chair back, which was originally calculated for the comfort of the person sitting in it, also seems to be just the right angle for the spine of the book. It is precisely because of this angle that the book is able to maintain its beautifully open position.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThere are no pictures or words printed on the book, and the 127-book, 2,023-page book is bound with blank paper as is. The calm dark blue cover has a three-line verse, \u0026quot;to rest your weight on your bottom with your back wertical,\u0026quot; stamped in gold leaf. Placing poetic words instead of the book title in the place where the book title should be may be seen as a bold attitude by someone who pursues book art, as he chooses not to give the book a title, which is the most important and essential part of the book. The texts stamped on the works are always poetic expressions with implications that evoke different associations in each viewer, rather than dictionary-like sentences that provide definitions.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt is clear that the \u0026quot;spine\u0026quot; is at the core of this work, both structurally and conceptually. In terms of structure, the back of an existing wooden dining chair is used as the spine of the book, and the delicate and intricate spine woven with the binding thread is a masterpiece. It is carefully bound using an original method based on the French link. The French link is a binding method in which a flat, rather than round, string is used as the support, and the binding thread that passes over it is entangled to sew the signatures. In \u0026quot;Chair 1\u0026quot;, the top rail and spine that run horizontally across the back of the chair are flat and stable, so the French link method is utilized. In a normal book, the spine is hidden by the cover and the structure cannot be seen, but the appearance of a book bound in this way with the core material protruding is beautiful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe origins of the \u0026quot;Book Para-Site\u0026quot; series come from a passage written by William Morris, who had the greatest influence on the author during his university days: \u0026quot;If I were asked what is the most important and most desirable product of 'art,' I would answer 'beautiful houses.' If I were asked what is the next most important and most desirable product, I would answer 'beautiful books.'\u0026quot; (From \u0026quot;The Ideal Book,\u0026quot; Chikuma Gakugei Bunko).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA message from the author about the concept of the Book Para-Site series:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003eBooks and architecture are similar. Books also have things called \u0026quot;doors\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;pillars,\u0026quot; and they are also similar in that they are designed with the flow of traffic in mind. A book is smaller than a human being and can be held in the hand, while architecture is larger than a human being and can be entered with the body. Although the size is different, both are the universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;If asked what the most important art is, I would answer 'beautiful houses,' and next most importantly 'beautiful books.'\u0026quot; The words of William Morris, who had a great influence on me when I started making book art, also reveal the relationship between books and architecture. \u0026quot;Books\u0026quot; that exist as if they are parasitic on the shape of a building create a new \u0026quot;relationship between books and architecture.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003eSince 2019, some of the book art I create has become too big to hold in my hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe work \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which was exhibited at the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building in Yaesu, Tokyo from November 2019 as a selected work for the Brillia ART AWARD 2019, was the first time I, having always been conscious of Morris's words, attempted to look at the boundary between \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture\u0026quot; on a large scale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the exhibition \u0026quot;Brillia Culture Spice\u0026quot; held at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery in January 2020, I exhibited \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards\u0026quot; as a work following \u0026quot;Book Para-Site\u0026quot; in Yaesu. In the process of creating a work of this size, I made new discoveries that I had never imagined.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe feeling of constructing the \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which is obviously larger than a human being, is what many people would imagine, and what I also imagined: the feeling of \u0026quot;building.\u0026quot; (※ Although the feeling was as I imagined, it was more difficult than I had imagined.)\u003cbr\u003eThat is what I felt when I was making \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards\u0026quot; and attaching the leather cover. I felt like I was putting a jacket on someone. I spread both my arms as far as I could, grabbed a piece of leather in each hand, and wrapped my arms around the book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis feeling was fresh to me, and the division between \u0026quot;books\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture,\u0026quot; which I had been exploring as I changed the sense of scale, felt like a more detailed division would bring in \u0026quot;people\u0026quot; in between. This led to the new Book Para-Site series, which I presented at the \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI would also like to take this opportunity to add that in 2016, I drew in my sketchbook the concept for a piece called \u0026quot;Book Parasite,\u0026quot; in which books are parasitized on furniture. \u0026quot;Book Parasite\u0026quot; started out as a piece of furniture on a scale, but three years later it was turned into architecture, four years later into an exhibition stand, and finally it was realized as furniture again for this exhibition. I find it fascinating, even though it is about me. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSource: March 12, 2020 \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ota-bookarts.jp\/b-log\/2020\/03\/12\/bookartsjourney-2\/\" title=\"ota-bookarts.bookartsjourney-2\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIn honour of the \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020\u0026quot; -- Yasutomo Ota's Book Arts Journey (2)\u003c\/a\u003eFrom [OTABOOKARTS BLOG]\u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40419579363496,"sku":"","price":605000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_chair_02.jpg?v=1648605327"},{"product_id":"oneeveryone","title":"O N E E V E R Y O N E","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTouch to focus,\u003cbr\u003eIf you move away, it becomes blurry.\u003cbr\u003eSemi-transparent membrane.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAnne Hamilton's «ONEEVERYONE» is based on the idea that human touch is a key means of communicating intimacy and privacy, that we learn about the world by reaching out and touching objects.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2017, approximately 530 members of the public rallied for Ann Hamilton in Austin, Texas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParticipants were anonymous Austinites, and everyone was welcome, from those who had received care to medical professionals who had provided care. Hamilton had all of his subjects stand behind a set made of a matte plastic-rubber membrane that resembled cloudy glass. The semi-transparent membrane brought subjects into sharp focus when touched and blurred them as soon as they were removed, connecting the senses of sight and touch and aiming to bring to light a new relationship between touch and compassion, the theme of the project.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_03_480x480.jpg?v=1649653214\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_03_480x480.jpg?v=1649653214\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_04_480x480.jpg?v=1649653205\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_04_480x480.jpg?v=1649653205\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs Hamilton later recalled, the set was separated by a semi-transparent membrane, and the only way to communicate was through voice, which was very similar to medical techniques.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMore than 20,000 portraits of citizens were taken in this way, and a thick 900-page book was compiled, with each participant appearing at least once. There is no text. The book was printed on newspaper paper, so it was thick but light, like a Shonen Jump magazine or a phone book. This book was circulated from hand to hand among Austin citizens and later distributed for free, making it an amazing book project.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_02_480x480.jpg?v=1649642023\" style=\"float: none; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/oneeveryone_landmarks_01_480x480.jpg?v=1649642035\" style=\"float: none; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/403075278?h=9159eff4bc\u0026amp;color=6d6d6d\u0026amp;title=0\u0026amp;byline=0\u0026amp;portrait=0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With Ohio State University\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/403075278\"\u003eONEEVERYONE • Ohio\u003c\/a\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the way, «ONEEVERYONE» was developed as a public art project in many ways other than as a book, such as a panel exhibition in the medical school corridors, essays by poets, philosophers and scientists published in a newspaper, and a website where photos can be downloaded for free. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one could have predicted that the coronavirus would spread around the world immediately after this project, and that we would enter a society in which contact with others is so strictly avoided, from medical facilities to everyday life. Ironically, \u0026quot;ONEEVERYONE,\u0026quot; which has the theme of \u0026quot;contact,\u0026quot; is a symbolic art book for the COVID-19 era, when contact is prohibited.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W1wpt5SBJjk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40419671507112,"sku":"","price":30000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/oneeveryone_01.jpg?v=1649434398"},{"product_id":"ushioda-tokuko-onion-skin-poster","title":"\u003ctc\u003eonion skin poster\u003c\/tc\u003e","description":"\u003ctc\u003e\n\u003ch1 data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.04 mm thick.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eby photographer Tokuko Ushioda..\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook poster.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eFRAGILE BOOKS' original posters are onion skin posters with a thickness of 0.04 mm. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as hanging on the wall as it is or wrapping a gift.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eThe first series of onion skin posters features four black-and-white photographs printed by photographer Tokuko Ushioda (1940- ) from her \"Views of The Books\" series, which she has been photographing for over 20 years.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eThe idea of photographing books as objects suddenly occurred to her, and she has visited a variety of places, including public and university libraries, private study rooms, editorial offices of publishing companies, and the studio of her mentor, Ohtsuji Kiyoji. This is Tokuko Ushioda's life's work.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eA set of four photographic posters will be presented.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Bungei Club\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eThe leather covering the back of the book with gold lettering has deteriorated, and newspaper is used for the underlining, revealing an advertisement for the popular Meiji-era magazine \"Bungei Club\" (1895-1933), published by Hakubunkan. Ichiyō Higuchi, Koyo Zzaki, and others were regular contributors to \"Bungei Club\". After the restoration was completed, this newspaper advertisement returned to its function of underlining and was never seen again.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e2. bandages\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eA friend of Tokuko Ushioda's became the director of the library, and the Waseda University Library gave him permission to photograph it. The first thing I saw when I entered the storage room of the university's Special Collections Room was a book on the shelf, dressed in what could be seen as a bandage or a potholder. When I printed out the photos I had taken over the course of several days and showed them to the librarian for debriefing, she had a subtle reaction: \"It's embarrassing to be seen not getting around to restoring it\".\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e3. ribs\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eTokuko Ushioda's first encounter with medieval decorative manuscripts was when an acquaintance who worked for a small publishing company asked him to come see an amazing book that was used in a church in Spain at the end of the 15th century. I was told by an acquaintance who works for a small publishing company that \"there is an amazing book that was used in a church in Spain at the end of the 15th century. Upon opening the thick, dark cream-colored cloth in which the book was wrapped, Tokuko Ushioda was overwhelmed by its presence at first glance. The painful sight made her husband Shimao Shinzo feel as if he were looking at the emaciated ribs of Jesus Christ pasted on the cross on the hill of Golgotha.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e4. broccoli\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eFall 2008. Tokuko Ushioda was watching a TV program showing how first graders begin to use dictionaries, and the content of the program caught her attention, so she began to write a letter. In the blue light of a cathode-ray tube, Keisuke Fukaya, a teacher at Ritsumeikan Primary School in Kyoto, was teaching first graders who were beginning to learn to read how to draw a dictionary. The children looked up \"things\" and \"matters\" around them at random and put sticky notes one after another on the words they looked up. One year later, the result was a dictionary full of sticky notes that looked like broccoli.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eMessage\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eI feel a strange emotion when I touch \"books,\" which have had various destinies in different eras. It is strange to see a Bible sitting like a king on the altar of a church in some European countryoda\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/tc\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40419762798760,"sku":"100","price":2100.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ushioda_onionskinposter_01.jpg?v=1675752511"},{"product_id":"アルミの茶筒","title":"Aluminum tea canister","description":"\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40419901341864,"sku":"","price":25000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/sumikeiichi_01.jpg?v=1648614611"},{"product_id":"minasoko","title":"\u003ctc\u003eMINASOKO (THE DEEP)\u003c\/tc\u003e","description":"\u003ctc\u003e\n\u003ch1 data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTara Books, a small East Indian publishing house\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehandmade, hand bound picture books on the subject of Japan.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehandmade picture books about Japan.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eFrom papermaking to silkscreen printing and bookbinding without using any glue, the entire process of making a book is done by hand by artisans in a small workshop in India. The entire process of making the book is done by hand by artisans in a small workshop in India. Even the marble pattern on the cover, which is reminiscent of the surface of water, is unique. The original \"\u003cbr\u003eThe Deep\" was published by Tara Books in 2020, but unlike previous translations in which only the text was replaced by Japanese, this edition offers several changes from the original, from the binding to the design.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eThe title of the Japanese edition is \"MINASOKO\" (The Bottom of the Water), which is derived from an ancient Japanese word from the Manyo period (710-794). In translating the story, we have attempted to follow the intent of the original book, while directly interviewing the VAYEDA Brothers about details and background that were not written in the original book, and attempting to make a significant translation. The binding design differs significantly from the page layout of the original book, placing the pictures and the story on separate pages, thus returning to the traditional Warli art way of doing things. The book is designed to be read vertically, as if the reader were descending gradually to the bottom of the ocean, so that the reader can physically feel the experience of going from shallow water to deep water through reading. The size, paper, and binding method are different from those of the original book, giving the book a completely new appearance.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eThis autobiographical picture story spun by two brothers who grew up in a small village in Western India is the first picture book by Tara Books on the theme of Japan. This picture book was inspired by the VAYEDA Brothers' journey from their hometown village of Ganjad, through college life in the metropolis of Mumbai with its towering skyscrapers, to Awashima, Japan, far out to sea. The book's most distinctive feature, the delicate Warli art that fills the screen, is derived from the traditional mural art painted on the walls and floors of houses by married women of the Warli tribe, who lead a self-sufficient lifestyle. While preserving this tradition, the Waieda brothers continue to challenge themselves to blend their own personal experiences and modern elements into their work. The final page, which depicts the river creatures of the village of Ganjad, India, and the sea creatures of Awashima, Japan, as well as the invisibly small plankton and imaginary creatures, is a cohesive portrayal of the mysteries of the universe.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eOnly at the end of the Japanese edition of the book, the VAYEDA Brothers have added a special drawing of the village of Ganjerd. A panorama of the Warli people's life, with no distinction made between animals, plants, or people. The book quietly celebrates the healthy days of living with nature, which we may have lost.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eEach book, with a different cover pattern and serial number, is as beautiful as a handmade craft and makes a wonderful gift for a loved one.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003e＞Click here for the official website of Tara Books.\u003cbr\u003e＞For the official website of Wieda Brothers, click here.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eRipples and stormy seas leading up to the publication of the book:\u003cbr\u003eMINASOKO\" is a picture book created by the FRAGILE BOOKS team, MUJIBOOKS of Ryohin Keikaku, Inc. and Tara Books. After two years of work, 5,000 copies of \"MINASOKO\" were delivered to Japan on Christmas Day, December 2021. The project was hit by rough times, including the Indian lockdown, the declaration of a state of emergency in Japan, an incident in Chennai where the handmade paper did not dry due to bad weather, and a forklift fork penetrating a shipping container during loading.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-editor-transcy=\"true\"\u003eText by Ema Otobe\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/tc\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41937180852392,"sku":"","price":3850.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/minasoko_00.jpg?v=1648680460"},{"product_id":"solitude_veronika-schapers","title":"Solitude","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eHenry Thoreau's Solitude\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMade from medical materials\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA masterpiece of book art.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis book was created in 2021, a year when the coronavirus pandemic was raging, through a collaboration between Veronica Schäppas, a book artist living in Germany, and Susan Pietsch, a jewelry designer living in Tokyo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA pure white book is placed inside the box. It gives off a soft and pure impression, like freshly fallen snow. As you turn the pages, you'll be surprised to find that all the pages of the main text are also pure white. However, if you look closely, you'll notice that the text of the Solitude chapter of Thoreau's \u0026quot;Walden: Life in the Woods\u0026quot; is printed on the entire page in a series of delicate embossed dots like hole letters. When you take the book out, you'll see a layer of white paper underneath, like a circular filter. When you take it out, you'll see that it is embossed with thin lines and small circular dots.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll materials used in «Solitude» were selected from those actually used in the medical field. For example, the round filters are made from cotton fiber filter paper used in laboratories. The fact that all elements are composed of only white paper without adding color is a deliberate move to express a clear, sterile state. The entire piece is enveloped in a white world, but each material has a different texture and there are slight differences in the white tones, and the delicate overlapping and intersecting of the materials adds a rich expression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe font, which plays an important role throughout the work, is\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/so-ba.cc\/\" href=\"https:\/\/so-ba.cc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eso + ba\u003c\/a\u003eThis font was specially designed for \u0026quot;Solitude\u0026quot; by Alex Sonderegger of . At first glance it looks like a hollow letter, but it is made with transparent ink and embossed on soft filter paper. The outline of a circle is faintly embossed on each page of the main text.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe circular filters are embossed with graphics and abstract symbols, all of which are based on the WHO's Spring 2020 Global Health Report.\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/diseases\/novel-coronavirus-2019\/interactive-timeline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/diseases\/novel-coronavirus-2019\/interactive-timeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eCoronavirus figures and data\u003c\/a\u003eThis is a quote from the book. What look like geometric patterns or river maps are actually data visualizations such as line graphs showing the number of coronavirus infections and timelines. However, when you juxtapose the nature and solitude that Thoreau wrote about and the context of this circular filter, these graphics also look like maps and landscapes around Walden, where Thoreau lived.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSince its first publication in the United States in 1854, Thoreau's \u0026quot;Walden: Life in the Woods\u0026quot; has been highly acclaimed around the world. From the summer of 1845, Thoreau built a cabin on the shores of a swamp called Walden, on the outskirts of Concord, Massachusetts, for two years, and lived an experimental natural life through self-sufficiency. \u0026quot;Walden: Life in the Woods,\u0026quot; published in 1854, is a record of his experiences at that time. The reason this story has such a strong appeal to modern people is that it uses his own experience to show that \u0026quot;the end result of scientific civilization is humanity living amid pollution and environmental destruction.\u0026quot; What can we find in Thoreau's life as we live in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis beautiful, infinitely white book made from medical materials is like a ray of light, a prayer for those who have lost their lives to COVID-19, and a ray of hope for those of us who are left behind. It is the ultimate book that shows us the invisible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVeronica Shepas' official website\u003ca title=\"http:\/\/www.veronikaschaepers.net\/\" href=\"http:\/\/www.veronikaschaepers.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eHere\u003c\/a\u003e (German and English only)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Ema Otobe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42087784448168,"sku":"","price":228800.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/solitude_01.jpg?v=1649435189"},{"product_id":"die-forelle","title":"Die Forelle","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eWhat if books were water?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026quot;The Forelle\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2014\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis masterpiece by Yasutomo Ota was born from the concept of \u0026quot;water.\u0026quot; It is based on the lyrics of the popular song \u0026quot;Die Forelle\u0026quot; (1817) by Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 - November 19, 1828).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you hold the bound spine and shake it from side to side, the whole book sways supplely like rippling waves, as if a trout might jump out with the water at any moment. On the white pages, which are modeled after bamboo strips, vivid trout are depicted in linoleum prints that sparkle with each turn of the page, and the lyrics written by Schubart (Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, March 24, 1739 - October 10, 1791) are scattered throughout the work in German.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe artist chose structure as a method of expression for \u0026quot;Water.\u0026quot; Using both the bamboo strips used in ancient China and Coptic binding, reminiscent of the traditional Western book shape, he has succeeded in creating a unique structure that has never been seen before. By gluing three sheets of paper together, he has achieved a finish that is as strong as bamboo, yet lighter and more flexible than bamboo, and by deliberately binding the bamboo strips, which are normally stored in a scroll shape, he has created a completely new form of book. By binding one end, an axis is created, allowing the book to stand stably on its own, so the angle of each page can be freely changed, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of its shape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most distinctive feature of the production process of \u0026quot;Die Forelle\u0026quot; is the structure of a single bamboo strip. To guarantee the strength of a single page and to solve problems in the printing process, it was necessary to glue three pieces of paper together. In the printing process, even a deviation of just 1mm from the center of an 8mm-wide strip can have a major impact. In particular, for pages with text, the small letters must be aligned with the center of the strip, and there is no other way to do this than to print each side and then glue them together with one another by hand and eye.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTraditionally, bamboo strips are written in a vertical direction, as is typical of China and Japan. In this work, we go against this norm and use the lyrics of Schubart's \u0026quot;The Trout,\u0026quot; written in German, in a horizontal format. As a result, the mutual progression of structure and content literally plays and intersects, opening up possibilities for new approaches to books and typography.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe intersection of structure and content in this work makes us think about the direction of text progression, and by placing horizontal German text on a vertical format, we are strongly conscious of the direction of text progression. The lyrics of \u0026quot;Trout\u0026quot; basically progress from bottom to top on the bamboo strip, and the inner pages progress from left to right. This directionality is due to the fact that when titles are printed vertically on the spine of a German book, they are generally arranged to be read from bottom to top.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis work is one of the most outstanding examples of the artist's distinctive way of capturing the physicality of the book, and it gives a glimpse of the delicate sensibilities and precise technical skills of Japan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/knEiVGVWyPY\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113826881704,"sku":"","price":300000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_DieForelle_02.jpg?v=1648605453"},{"product_id":"vom-sinnvollen-abstand-und-dem-notwendigen-zusammenhalt","title":"The ideal home","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eWrite a book,\u003cbr\u003eBinding a book,\u003cbr\u003eBuild a book.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis work was inspired by a passage in the book \u0026quot;Atlas\u0026quot; (original: Atlas, 1994) by Michel Serres (September 1, 1930 - June 1, 2019), a leading French philosopher and writer: \u0026quot;There are many appropriate distances within a house.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe cloth-covered box has a sliding acrylic lid, and when the lid is closed all the way, the title of the work, \u0026quot;Vom sinnvollen Abstand und dem notwendigen Zusammenhalt (About Meaningful Distance and Indispensable Connections),\u0026quot; appears.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe entire work is a reproduction, in the form of a book, of the floor plan that the artist imagined after reading Atlas (originally published in 1994). One book is placed in each room, and the book placed at the entrance to the house (Eingang) contains the German phrase that inspired the work: \u0026quot;There are many appropriate distances in a house.\u0026quot; For example, the book goes into detail about appropriate distances in a living space, such as \u0026quot;The kitchen and dining room should be close together, and the toilet far away,\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;The distance between shelves should be within easy reach.\u0026quot; The books in the other rooms contain text and illustrations of furniture suitable for each room, along with their dimensions.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe technique I tried in this work is the idea of the book as a comprehensive art form, which began with William Morris.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn \u0026quot;The Ideal Book\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003eInfluenced by the line, \u0026quot;If you ask me what the most beautiful art is, I would answer a beautiful house, followed by a beautiful book,\u0026quot; I have been thinking and prototyping about the relationship between \u0026quot;houses and books,\u0026quot; and by extension, \u0026quot;architecture and books.\u0026quot; In this work, I use a two-dimensional floor plan as the axis, and embody the depth of space and the third dimension with a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; Recreating the inside of a house that people live in inside this book, which is much smaller than the human body, is equivalent to building a book, just like building a house.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo write, to bind, to create a book. I have a feeling that the number of verbs following \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; will continue to increase, starting with \u0026quot;build.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WE6zZWBSHOE\" title=\"YouTube video player\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113839431848,"sku":"","price":200000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_house_02.jpg?v=1648607403"},{"product_id":"茶室ー趣味-空-数寄の場所","title":"Tea room","description":"\u003ch2\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eOkakura Tenshin's \u0026quot;Chanoyu\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCollapsed\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003etea bag.\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h2\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis work, which has a tea room theme, is in the shape of a large tea bag. When you open the tea bag, two bundles of washi paper appear on either side. The overall soft impression is unique to washi paper. The fact that the string of the tea bag unfolds from Japanese binding thread also gives a sense of Japanese sensibility. The artist does not produce many so-called Japanese-style works, but the identity that exudes from these details is unmistakably based on Japan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe text is an excerpt from the fourth chapter, \u0026quot;Tea Room,\u0026quot; of Okakura Tenshin's \u0026quot;The Book of Tea\u0026quot; (Iwanami Bunko). The right-hand page shows a floor plan of the tatami room, drawn in the color of tea leaves instead of ink, and the left-hand page shows a typographical expression in three languages, Japanese, English, and German, that matches the diagram. The left and right bundles are paired, so you can read both pages at the same time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author, who continues to create while moving back and forth between architecture and books, chose the \u0026quot;tea room.\u0026quot; The structure of the tea room can be said to be the polar opposite of the splendor of Western architecture and the profoundness of temple architecture. The architecture of the tea room is called \u0026quot;sukiya architecture,\u0026quot; and Okakura Tenshin gave the following interpretation of the meaning of \u0026quot;sukiya.\u0026quot; The first is \u0026quot;empty house,\u0026quot; written as \u0026quot;sukiya.\u0026quot; Even in a small space such as a four-and-a-half-tatami room, if you line up or pack various things in it, there will be no room. However, if you leave it empty, anything can fit in there. If it is empty, anything can fit in there. Or, the space inside becomes free. The second is \u0026quot;sukiya.\u0026quot; It is a room that you like. For a tea ceremony, the space changes depending on the flower arrangement, according to your own and your guests' preferences each day. It incorporates preferences that change with each occasion. The third is \u0026quot;sukiya.\u0026quot; We will unravel the meaning of \u0026quot;sukiya\u0026quot; in the sense of \u0026quot;even numbers\u0026quot; versus \u0026quot;odd numbers.\u0026quot; Specifically, Okakura Tenshin gives the example of the \u0026quot;staggered shelves,\u0026quot; saying that in oriental teahouse architecture, the irregular, unbalanced, unstable scenery of the staggered shelves creates fluidity, or movement. In symmetry, movement is fixed. In contrast, the staggered shelves can evoke movement in the mind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe artist, who acquired the techniques and mindset in Germany, where the history of books as works of art is passed down through the ages, combined the Japanese architectural style and philosophy of the tea ceremony, which are his cultural background, and fermented it. This work is a masterpiece that gives a sense of the great possibilities for the future of book art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113839857832,"sku":"","price":1.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/teabag_01.jpg?v=1649424289"},{"product_id":"pferdebeine","title":"PFERDEBEINE","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eThe original work is a horror story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«PREFERDEBEINE» \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2015\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe work is based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's \u0026quot;Horse's Leg.\u0026quot;\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe length of this book is 66cm. It is a little short for a thoroughbred, but it is exactly the average length for native horses in Japan. There is no bookshelf that can fit a horse's legs, and this book is unlikely to fit on the bookshelf either.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI will give a very brief explanation of Akutagawa's \u0026quot;Horse's Leg.\u0026quot; \u0026quot;Horse's Leg\u0026quot; is a tale that first appeared in 1925 (Taisho 14), and begins with the line, \u0026quot;A fairy tale to read to adults.\u0026quot; In the Taisho era, Hanzaburo Oshino, a trading company employee living in Beijing, was accidentally killed and ended up in the underworld. He was revived, but his leg had already rotted by then, so he was sent back to the world with a horse's leg instead. The transplanted horse's leg instinctively galloped around, regardless of the protagonist's will, and eventually his wife saw his hairy horse's leg peeking out from under his white pants, and he eventually disappeared. It is a fantastic story reminiscent of Franz Kafka's \u0026quot;Metamorphosis.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven though the cover is pure white, you can feel the texture of a living thing, like an expression or body heat. Opening the pages inside, you are surprised by the layout of the text. The Japanese and German text flows along the outline of a trouser pattern, creating a truly mysterious sight. And beneath the text run the traces of a stumble. This visual image makes the viewer think of the sound of horse hoofs and the dust kicked up by the horses. Because it is a large, narrative-rich book, you are seized by the illusion of being sucked into it with each turn of the pages.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe white paper used for the cover and horseshoe graphics was chosen based on the white pants worn by the main character, Hanzaburo Oshino. At first glance it looks like ordinary paper, but when you touch it, it has a special texture that feels like fur, animal skin, or human skin. The Japanese and German titles are strongly embossed on the cover to emphasize the texture of the paper.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe text is arranged in the shape of a trouser pattern. In the story, the horse's leg, which was transplanted when the protagonist was sent back to earth from heaven, is connected below the protagonist's thigh, so the text is arranged so that the Japanese text above the pattern connects with the German text below. Also, inside the double-folded printed washi paper, graphics made by applying ink to a horseshoe and pressing it directly into the paper are inserted, so no two books are the same. By combining washi paper with the motif of stencil paper, the book explores the possibilities of washi paper, a material that is actually used as a stencil paper.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout \u0026quot;Horse's Leg\u0026quot;:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIt was published in 1925, just two years before Akutagawa Ryunosuke took his own life. \u0026quot;The Horse's Leg\u0026quot; is a fantastic story about a middle-aged man who has a horse's leg transplanted into his thigh. Events such as resuscitation and transplantation symbolize \u0026quot;rebirth,\u0026quot; while the horse's leg, galloping instinctively regardless of the man's will, symbolizes \u0026quot;madness.\u0026quot; At this time, Akutagawa Ryunosuke was already suffering from mental illness. The main character, Oshino Hanzaburo, may have been Akutagawa Ryunosuke himself.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113861419176,"sku":"","price":180000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_PFERDEBEINE_02.jpg?v=1648608123"},{"product_id":"buch-elemente-von-a-bis-z","title":"Buch-Elemente von A bis Z","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e A to Z about books.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e« Buch-Elemente von A bis Z »\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe book is surrounded on all four sides by calm red paper, and the beauty of the \u0026quot;straight lines and perpendicular lines\u0026quot; that are considered essential elements of what is now considered a book stands out. This is a work that is worthy of being called orthodox among the artist's works. You can fully enjoy the orthodox bookbinding and printing techniques that have been handed down in Germany for generations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe title translates to \u0026quot;A to Z of Books\u0026quot; in Japanese, and as the title suggests, the content is a collection of words related to bookmaking and books, categorized by their initials from A to Z.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor example, D is printed with \u0026quot;Druckvemerk\u0026quot; which means \u0026quot;stamp\u0026quot;, and E is printed with \u0026quot;Exlibris\u0026quot; which means \u0026quot;bookplate\u0026quot;. The Y page is a little different, and it is printed with \u0026quot;Yashi\u0026quot;, the nickname of Yasutomo Ota during his time in Germany. Because the person himself is indispensable to the making of a book.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe beautiful weave of the spine is the result of intricate thread binding techniques. It is an advanced form of Coptic binding and is an old binding method, but the name is unclear. It is easy to open and has excellent durability, so it appears frequently in Yasutomo Ota's works. He says that he likes the intuitive act of punching holes in a single sheet of paper and binding it together, rather than binding quires together.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe author of this work is based in Munich, Germany.\u003ca title=\"活版工房フリーゲンコプフ\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fliegenkopf-muenchen.de\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLetterpress Printing Workshop Fliegenkopf\u003c\/a\u003eIt is one of the few works I have produced. I used two types of type, wood type and lead type. The wood type prints large capital letters of the alphabet, and the lead type prints several concepts and keywords arranged around them. Each page is also a composed typographical expression.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach page of the work is made using a heavy core, giving it a solid, weighty physical form. When you hold it in your hand, it feels as heavy as a stone, and from the perspective of tracing the history of books back through its contents, which are simply composed of text, this book could be said to be a paper monument inscribed with the history of books.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113896087720,"sku":"","price":197120.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_elemente_02.jpg?v=1648605530"},{"product_id":"frucht-i","title":"Frucht I","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e The size of one whole lemon.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026quot;Fruit I\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #808080;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e2017\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e The lemon-colored cube contains a whole lemon, and just looking at it makes you feel like you've taken in a dose of Vitamin C. The outline of the lemon that appears on three edges is a reflection of the actual lemon, which the artist purchased himself and sliced into 2mm pieces. Upon closer inspection, the outline is highlighted by German characters written just 2mm wide. Each side is inscribed with information about the lemon, an overview of the lemon, and recipes using the lemon. When you open the page, a cross-section of the lemon, sliced to the same thickness as the paper (2mm), appears, and the diameter changes slightly as you turn the page.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe yellow surface is actually white paper printed in yellow. The texture and other aspects are carefully designed to look like a lemon. Over time, the yellow on the edge of the fore-edge has peeled off and some parts have faded to a whitish color, just like a lemon with some peeled off.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;Frucht I\u0026quot; is a work that brings to fruition the duality of the intuitive action of transferring something other than a book into a book, and the visual effect of the piled-up thin layers evoking the image of a book as an object.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRegarding the Frucht series, the artist explains:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003eWhen an object is cut into thin layers, many slices are produced. When these slices are stacked again, the shape of the original object emerges. The relationship between slices and objects seems to me like the relationship between a signature and a book. Moreover, CT, which is a method for observing the details of an object, achieves its purpose by looking at the cross section of the object. In order to observe the details of an object, I tried slicing it to the same thickness as a signature.\u003c\/em\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003e2mm is a unit that I use frequently when making books. When using flimsy paper, or more specifically, when printing on paper, we often think of it as flat, but in reality, paper has \u0026quot;thickness.\u0026quot; In this project, the quire, which is usually made by stacking and folding multiple sheets of paper, is constructed from a single sheet of cardboard, which makes one strongly aware of \u0026quot;thickness.\u0026quot; I feel the expanse of the universe within a thickness of 2mm. Many interesting things happen within the 2mm of a slice of fruit, and in the process of making a book, there is truly a lot of drama within 2mm. I wanted to get closer to 2mm, and learn more about the possibilities of 2mm, so in this project I included written information within the thickness of a single quire.\u003c\/em\u003e” says the author.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis work was the last one he produced during his time in Germany, and he moved to Japan in 2017 to embark on new creative endeavors. Through this work, he became more conscious of \u0026quot;getting closer to the subject,\u0026quot; \u0026quot;turning familiar things into books,\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;making books parasitize familiar things,\u0026quot; and these thoughts remain major themes in his creative endeavors to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Ema Otobe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sCIlDKJnobU\" title=\"YouTube video player\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42113900544168,"sku":"","price":215600.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota2201_041.jpg?v=1647498477"},{"product_id":"frucht-iii","title":"Frucht III","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e One whole tomato.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u0026quot;Fruit III\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e2017 \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe tomato-coloured cube contains a whole tomato. The outline of the tomato that appears on three edges is a projection of the actual tomato, which the artist purchased himself and sliced into 2mm pieces. Upon closer inspection, the outline is highlighted by German characters written just 2mm wide. Each side contains information about the tomato, an overview of the tomato, and a recipe that uses the tomato. When you open the pages, the cross-section of a tomato sliced to the same thickness as the paper (2mm) appears, and the diameter changes slightly as you turn the page.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAt first glance, the surface appears to be a single red color, but it is actually a pearlescent white paper with a red print. This is an approach that is particular about the tomato-like feel, including the texture.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;Frucht Ⅲ\u0026quot; is a work that brings to fruition the duality of the intuitive action of transferring something other than a book into a book, and the visual effect of the piled-up thin layers evoking the image of a book as an object.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegarding the Frucht series, the artist explains:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003eWhen an object is cut into thin layers, many slices are produced. When these slices are stacked again, the shape of the original object emerges. The relationship between slices and objects seems to me like the relationship between a signature and a book. Moreover, CT, which is a method for observing the details of an object, achieves its purpose by looking at the cross section of the object. In order to observe the details of an object, I tried slicing it to the same thickness as a signature.\u003c\/em\u003e\u0026quot; As the artist says, he has accomplished an amazing feat. Not only is the method of expression impressive, but slicing a real tomato evenly from end to end into 2mm slices is an incredibly difficult feat. If you think you can do it, we encourage you to give it a try.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003e2mm is a unit that I use frequently when making books. When using flimsy paper, or more specifically, when printing on paper, we often think of it as flat, but in reality, paper has a certain thickness. In this project, the quire, which is usually made by stacking and folding multiple sheets of paper, is constructed from a single sheet of cardboard, which makes one strongly aware of \u0026quot;thickness.\u0026quot; I feel the expanse of the universe within a thickness of 2mm. Many interesting things happen within the 2mm of a slice of fruit, and in the process of making a book, there is truly a lot of drama within 2mm. I wanted to get closer to 2mm, and learn more about the possibilities of 2mm, so in this project I included written information within the thickness of a single quire.\u003c\/em\u003e” says the author.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis work was the last one he produced during his time in Germany, and he moved to Japan in 2017 to embark on new creative endeavors. Through this work, he became more conscious of \u0026quot;getting closer to the subject,\u0026quot; \u0026quot;turning familiar things into books,\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;making books parasitize familiar things,\u0026quot; and these thoughts remain major themes that are essential to his creative work to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42114335146152,"sku":"","price":215600.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_Frucht3_02.jpg?v=1648606807"},{"product_id":"frucht-ii","title":"Frucht II","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e One whole kiwi fruit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u0026quot;Fruit II\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e2017\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe dull, light green cube contains a whole kiwi fruit. The outline of the kiwi fruit that appears on three edges is a reflection of the outline of the kiwi fruit itself, which the artist purchased himself and sliced into 2mm pieces. Upon closer inspection, the outline is highlighted by German text written just 2mm wide. Each side is inscribed with information about the fruit, an overview of the kiwi fruit, and recipes using kiwi fruit. When you open the page, a cross section of a kiwi fruit sliced to the same thickness as the paper (2mm) appears, and the diameter changes slightly as you turn the page.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe light green surface layer is a ready-made Western paper selected to resemble the color of the kiwi fruit. After much searching, including the texture, I found a paper whose name included \u0026quot;kiwi\u0026quot;. The thread used for the binding is a light brown waxed string, as the skin of the fruit is brown and covered with hairy fibers.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;Frucht II\u0026quot; is a work that brings to fruition the duality of the intuitive action of transferring something other than a book into a book, and the visual effect of the piled-up thin layers evoking the image of a book as an object.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRegarding the Frucht series, the artist explains:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003eWhen an object is cut into thin layers, many slices are produced. When these slices are stacked again, the shape of the original object emerges. The relationship between slices and objects seems to me like the relationship between a signature and a book. Moreover, CT, which is a method for observing the details of an object, achieves its purpose by looking at the cross section of the object. In order to observe the details of an object, I tried slicing it to the same thickness as a signature.\u003c\/em\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;\u003cem\u003e2mm is a unit that I use frequently when making books. When using flimsy paper, or more specifically, when printing on paper, we often think of it as flat, but in reality, paper has a certain thickness. In this project, the quire, which is usually made by stacking and folding multiple sheets of paper, is constructed from a single sheet of cardboard, which makes one strongly aware of \u0026quot;thickness.\u0026quot; I feel the expanse of the universe within a thickness of 2mm. Many interesting things happen within the 2mm of a slice of fruit, and in the process of making a book, there is truly a lot of drama within 2mm. I wanted to get closer to 2mm, and learn more about the possibilities of 2mm, so in this project I included written information within the thickness of a single quire.\u003c\/em\u003e” says the author.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis work was the last one he produced during his time in Germany, and he moved to Japan in 2017 to embark on new creative endeavors. Through this work, he became more conscious of \u0026quot;getting closer to the subject,\u0026quot; \u0026quot;turning familiar things into books,\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;making books parasitize familiar things,\u0026quot; and these thoughts remain important themes in his creative endeavors to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42114353561768,"sku":"","price":215600.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_Frucht1_08.jpg?v=1649316756"},{"product_id":"abc-symbole","title":"ABC SYMBOLE","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eThe type sings\u003cbr\u003eAlphabet on paper.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«ABC SYMBOL» \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2014\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis piece is based on the symbolism of alphabet letters.\u003cbr\u003eThe size fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, the texture of the cloth, and the soft ABC shape of the title make it feel familiar. When you open it, you'll be excited by the light, flip-flap movements of the book, like a child's pop-up book. The soft impression of the wood type and the tasteful symbols of the prints create a worldview reminiscent of an adult picture book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book contains four elements for each alphabet from A to Z: a print that matches its symbolism, its function as a symbol, the alphabet letter, and the word that the alphabet represents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlip the cover and you will first see the \u0026quot;print\u0026quot; on the left side of the spread, and then the \u0026quot;function as a symbol\u0026quot; on the page immediately to the right. Next, turn the folded page toward the center of the spread to reveal the bold \u0026quot;alphabet\u0026quot; printed in wood type and the \u0026quot;word that the alphabet represents.\u0026quot; For example, on the first spread of the \u0026quot;C\u0026quot; page, the words \u0026quot;print\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;to feel warmth\u0026quot; are arranged, and when you open the folded page again, the alphabet \u0026quot;C\u0026quot; and the word \u0026quot;degrees Celsius\u0026quot; appear. The short texts describing the function of each symbol are not descriptive like a dictionary with a clear definition, but use poetic expressions with implications that can evoke different scenes for each person, as in the example of \u0026quot;C.\u0026quot; This structure makes it a work that naturally and smoothly induces the reader to enjoy the intellectual pleasure of turning the pages one by one while guessing what will happen next.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe large alphabetic characters are printed in wood type, the rest of the text in lead type, and the prints in linoleum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe binding method that plays an important role in this work is butterfly binding (also known as deccho-sou; the main text paper is folded inwards, layered in a valley fold, and glued together along the creases), which the artist himself adapted from a structure that resembles a butterfly with its wings spread when opened one by one. It is probably no coincidence that you feel a certain lightness, like that of a butterfly, every time you flip open the pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe thickness and size of a book are the most important elements that shape the exterior of the book. This book is thick due to its structure and the size of the wooden type that has played a part in its history, making it one size smaller than a paperback at 100mm x 100mm. It can be said that this book comes as close as possible to the phrase \u0026quot;functional beauty.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42114460287144,"sku":"","price":154880.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_abc_02.jpg?v=1648605050"},{"product_id":"the-world-through-lenses","title":"THE WORLD THROUGH LENSES","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDaimaru Department Store\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e11\u003c\/span\u003eActing head of the family\u003cbr\u003eShotaro Shimomura's World Travel\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e1934-1935\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e Original photo print in a beautiful wooden box with hand-carved relief\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e36\u003c\/span\u003eThe label on the inside of the box lid reads:\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSOUVENIR PHOTO SKETCHES OF SHOTARO SHIMOMURA'S TOUR ROUND THE WORLD 1934-1935\u003c\/span\u003e\u0026quot; The subtitle states, \u0026quot;Shotaro Shimomura was a Meiji\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e16(1883)\u003c\/span\u003eBorn in 1900, he was the 1st son of the late Masatoshi Takeuchi, who later became head of the Daimaru department store.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e11\u003c\/span\u003eIt would be nice to see him as Daigemura Shotaro himself. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginal Print\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e36\u003c\/span\u003eThis photobook, consisting of 100 photos, was\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e9\u003c\/span\u003e~\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e10(1934\u003c\/span\u003e~\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e1935)\u003c\/span\u003eShimomura, who embarked on a round-the-world trip in 2007 that also included inspection tours, is thought to have given the photographs he had taken himself as souvenirs, distributing them to relevant people when he greeted countries around the world. \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe title and name card are exactly the same, but the wooden box has been lightened with tatami paper, and the number of photographs has been increased.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e12\u003c\/span\u003eIt seems that there is also another version that has been narrowed down to just a few points, and I believe that the wooden box version that has arrived this time was distributed only to a more limited number of important people.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEach photograph is covered with tissue paper listing the place and subject, and we can see that the photographer traveled to a wide range of countries, including at least France, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, various parts of North America, Egypt, and India.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHis photography skills are quite impressive. It's a shame that the texture can't be conveyed in the images, but his skill and excellent taste shine through in the way he frames the landscape, the composition, the contrast between black and white, and the object he focuses his gaze on. It is said that it was Shimomura's wish to use Vories for the architecture of his store and private residence, and it is easy to see why.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEven the photographs of department stores such as Macy's and Wanamaker in the United States and Bon Marché in Paris - perhaps the result of the selection of photographs as souvenirs - are very descriptive, like inspection shots.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003eIt is wonderful that there are no blemishes. Apart from being a department store-related document, I think that these photographs can be interpreted in various ways, such as a collection of works by an amateur photographer from the early Showa period, a document related to modernism, a comparison with Shinzo Fukuhara, or a businessman's travel experience.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.fragile-books.com\/collections\/%E4%BD%90%E8%97%A4%E7%9C%9F%E7%A0%82\" title=\"佐藤真砂\"\u003eMasago Sato\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42115877568680,"sku":"","price":120000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/theworldthroughlenses_01.jpg?v=1648614246"},{"product_id":"いろは引紋帳","title":"Iroha Hidden Moncho","description":"\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42115948871848,"sku":"","price":40000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/DSC_6267_2.jpg?v=1648616662"},{"product_id":"pupal-1","title":"Pupal","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eA book chrysalis or a tree spirit?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«Pupal»\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eA \u0026quot;bookworm\u0026quot; is someone who loves books, but here we'll be talking about books that have become pupae.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA wooden book wrapped in smooth cowhide is fixed to a tree branch. Thin white linen threads pass under the cover and extend from the edge, creating a mysterious sight that seems to support the book, just like a butterfly chrysalis spins a thread and uses it to secure itself. Inside an insect chrysalis, all tissues except for some of the nervous and respiratory systems are dissolved into a sludgy mess. The author, who loved insects as a child, has replaced the book with an insect, as if presenting us with the image of a \u0026quot;book before it becomes a book.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe main materials used in «Pupal» are natural. Wood, paper, leather, linen thread, etc., all breathe. The materials used to make a book are often perceived as inanimate and lifeless, but they interact with each other and change depending on the climate and environment. The book pupa is undoubtedly alive.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough this work is a large piece, standing at 120cm in height, the delicate expression that is the artist's specialty is highlighted in the finished product. The cut ends of the branches at the top have been carefully painted gold, and a piece of floral cloth, which is normally used to reinforce and decorate the top and bottom parts of a bound book, has been pasted on top of the bark. By applying this floral cloth to a part of the work, the roundness of the tree branch is perceived as the rounded spine of a hardcover book, which is a mysterious experience for viewers, as if they are looking at a trick art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe wooden book is carved inconspicuously along the grain, and the succession of bumps and grooves resembles the edge of a thick book. The smooth flesh-colored leather is slightly larger than the wooden book, and exquisitely wraps around the whole book while preserving the wooden book's framework. Rather than processing the edges of the leather in a straight line, I tried to recreate the shape of an insect's pupa by gently rounding them and intentionally leaving uneven folds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a work that could only have been created by an artist who has a deep affinity with insects, having caught beetles and cicadas as a child and raised them at home from larvae to adults.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147310534824,"sku":"","price":1.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_pupal_02.jpg?v=1648608277"},{"product_id":"imagine-1","title":"Imagine","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eA book with no name.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e« Imagine »\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eCedar wood, wood panel, acrylic paint. The materials used in this work do not include paper or thread, which are considered essential in book production.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA thick book stands out against the white wall. The blue cover is probably made of leather, and there are a few small marks of dust visible. It also looks like a thick dictionary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;Imagine\u0026quot; is a work that cuts out only the edge of a book, in contrast to \u0026quot;Book-Composition,\u0026quot; which uses the spine of a book as its subject. The vertical grain of the cedar wood used is mysterious because it looks like the edge of a book. The grain pattern is left as it is, making the most of the material, and only the minimum amount of carving and coloring is applied to create the appearance of a book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the dynamic material, the book's authenticity is apparent in the details, such as the faint lines at the edge of the book that are barely visible to the naked eye, and the carvings on the top surface that become stronger as you move from the fore-edge to the spine. This can only be achieved by an author who has a physical understanding of books.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author has left the following message about this work:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eJust as books express various things, I imagine various things as books. This imagination allows me to discover new aspects of books. Even now, I feel that books are limitless.\u003cbr\u003e——From the solo exhibition “Imagine something to be a book” in 2020\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147443343528,"sku":"","price":172000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_imagine1_01c.jpg?v=1649889643"},{"product_id":"book-composition-2","title":"Book-Composition 2","description":"\u003ch1\u003ePeople and books both tell their stories through their backs.\u003cbr\u003e«Book Composition 2»\u003cbr\u003e2016\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhile we tend to think of the cover as the face of a book, this work takes as its starting point the perspective that what we most often face and stare at, whether in a library or on our bookshelves at home, is in fact the spine of the book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe beautiful weave of the spine, created by the intricate binding technique, is something we would like you to look at up close or with a magnifying glass rather than from a distance. The binding method is thought to be derived from Coptic binding, and although it is not the author's original, the name is uncertain. It opens easily and is highly durable, so he likes this binding method and has used it to this day. He says that he likes the intuitive act of punching holes in a single sheet of paper and binding it, rather than binding quires together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the production standpoint, «Book-Composition 2» went through the exact same process as making a book: deciding the size, the number of pages, cutting the paper, gluing them together, punching holes for thread, and carefully binding them together with thread. After the binding process is complete, a rectangular hole is cut into the cardboard base so that the bound book fits perfectly, and the book is inserted and fixed in place. There is not even a single gap between the white paper base and the book, making it look as if the book is growing out of the wall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe idea for this project was to find a way to beautifully display books without using bookshelves or tables. The artist faced this problem head-on and started working on the \u0026quot;Book-Composition\u0026quot; series. This is a way to display books using walls, i.e. vertical surfaces. The challenge of using walls for book art is still ongoing, and has led to the \u0026quot;MEDIUM\u0026quot; series, which was announced in March 2022.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book Composition series, the author says:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIf there is a single piece of paper, it is just paper, and I do not recognize it as a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; If there are multiple pieces of paper stacked on top of each other, it is still just stacks of paper, not a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; When I see multiple folded sheets of paper stacked on top of each other, and I see the stack of folded parts, I first recognize it as a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; It seems that we perceive the object called a \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; through the \u0026quot;spine.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003eWhen choosing a book at a bookstore, when searching for a book among a large number of books at a library, when looking at the bookshelves in your own room, or when looking at the bookshelves of others, we read information from the spines of books and imagine more than what we see there. Even if a book has had a major impact on your life, you may have spent more time looking at its spine than reading its contents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2019\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/8book.jp\/bookcenter\/2164\/\" href=\"https:\/\/8book.jp\/bookcenter\/2164\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHachinohe Book Center Gallery Exhibition \u0026quot;Yasutomo Ota Book Art Exhibition: Growing Up by Looking at the Back\u0026quot;\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147462840488,"sku":"","price":176000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_frontback_02.jpg?v=1648605680"},{"product_id":"book-composition-3","title":"Book-Composition 3","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eA specimen lying on its back.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«Book Composition 3»\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2016\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhile we tend to think of the cover as the face of a book, this work takes as its starting point the perspective that what we most often face and stare at, whether in a library or on our bookshelves at home, is in fact the spine of the book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;Book Composition 3\u0026quot; goes through the exact same process as making a book: deciding the size, the number of pages, cutting the paper, gluing them together, punching holes for thread, and carefully binding them together with thread. After the binding process is complete, a rectangular hole is cut into the cardboard base so that the bound book fits perfectly, and the book is inserted and fixed in place. There is not even a single gap between the white paper base and the book, making it look as if the book is growing out of the wall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe beautiful weave of the spine, created by the intricate binding technique, is something we would like you to look at up close or with a magnifying glass rather than from a distance. The binding method is thought to be derived from Coptic binding, and is not original, but its name is not certain. It opens easily and is highly durable, so he likes this binding method and has used it to this day. He says that he likes the intuitive act of punching holes in a single sheet of paper and binding it, rather than binding quires together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe idea for this project was to find a way to beautifully display books without using bookshelves or tables. The artist faced this problem head-on and started working on the \u0026quot;Book-Composition\u0026quot; series. This is a way to display books using walls, i.e. vertical surfaces. The challenge of using walls for book art is still ongoing, and has led to the \u0026quot;MEDIUM\u0026quot; series, which was announced in March 2022.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book Composition series, the author says:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003eIf there is a single piece of paper, it is just paper, and I do not recognize it as a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; If there are multiple pieces of paper stacked on top of each other, it is still just stacks of paper, not a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; When I see multiple folded sheets of paper stacked on top of each other, and I see the stack of folded parts, I first recognize it as a \u0026quot;book.\u0026quot; It seems that we perceive the object called a \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; through the \u0026quot;spine.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhen choosing a book at a bookstore, when searching for a book among a large number of books at a library, when looking at the bookshelves in your own room, or when looking at the bookshelves of others, we read information from the spines of books and imagine more than what we see there. Even if a book has had a major impact on your life, you may have spent more time looking at its spine than reading its contents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2019 Hachinohe Book Center Gallery Exhibition\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/8book.jp\/bookcenter\/2164\/\" title=\"https:\/\/8book.jp\/bookcenter\/2164\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u0026quot;Yasuhito Ota Book Art Exhibition: Growing Up by Looking at Our Backs\u0026quot;\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147489513640,"sku":"","price":176000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_frontback3_02.jpg?v=1648605783"},{"product_id":"インキュナブラ零本","title":"Incubra Zero","description":"\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147560718504,"sku":"ASK","price":250000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/20230606_001.jpg?v=1690855153"},{"product_id":"table","title":"Table","description":"\u003ch1\u003eThe twelve-layered kimono has been sewn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e« Table »\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhen IKEA becomes art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe colorful paper is beautifully layered, giving the illusion of looking at the twelve-layered kimono worn at the Imperial Court. Although it still functions as a table, I don't want to put anything on the glass top that overlooks the magnificent view.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;Table\u0026quot; is a 35cm square bamboo bedside table that has been transformed into a work of art through the skillful manipulation of paper and thread. A piece of paper core has been cut to fit the width of the board that runs across the legs of the table, and then layers upon layers of colorful paper with various textures are pasted together, like a twelve-layered kimono. The colorful layers of paper are one book, but because of their thickness they also seem to be a collection of the surfaces of several books. Small holes have been drilled into the crosspieces and the boards of the table to thread through, adding a slight fray to the world of straight lines and flat surfaces, expressing the organic element of the book as if it were a parasite on the furniture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe main motivation for Yasutomo Ota to create the \u0026quot;Book Para-Site\u0026quot; series was his interest in the act of binding books to familiar objects in everyday life, making them parasitic. The author, who is not bound by the value of furniture, went to IKEA to search for materials. The exhibition had already been decided, and IKEA was chosen as a place where materials could be purchased in bulk and all kinds of items could be compared at the same time. Everyday life can become art. This series makes you feel such possibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe exhibition at the \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020\u0026quot; where this work was presented was not simply an orderly display of the works, but rather was based on the idea of making the viewers feel closer to the works. The entire venue was transformed into a \u0026quot;room where book-loving adults live\u0026quot;, with every detail carefully crafted to create the feeling that the person in question had been there just moments before. Personas are important in the retail industry, but an exhibition of book art with a fictional persona was unprecedented.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA message from the author about the concept of the Book Para-Site series:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eBooks and architecture are similar. Books also have things called \u0026quot;doors\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;pillars,\u0026quot; and they are also similar in that they are designed with the flow of traffic in mind. A book is smaller than a human being and can be held in the hand, while architecture is larger than a human being and can be entered with the body. Although the size is different, both are the universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u0026quot;If asked what the most important art is, I would answer 'beautiful houses,' and next most importantly 'beautiful books.'\u0026quot; The words of William Morris, who had a great influence on me when I started making book art, also reveal the relationship between books and architecture. \u0026quot;Books\u0026quot; that exist as if they are parasitic on the shape of a building create a new \u0026quot;relationship between books and architecture.\u0026quot;   Since 2019, some of the book art I create has become too big to hold in my hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe work \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which was exhibited at the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building in Yaesu, Tokyo from November 2019 as a selected work for the Brillia ART AWARD 2019, was the first time I, having always been conscious of Morris's words, attempted to look at the boundary between \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture\u0026quot; on a large scale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContinued At the \u0026quot;Brillia Culture Spice\u0026quot; exhibition held at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery in January 2020, I exhibited \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards,\u0026quot; a work that followed on from \u0026quot;Book Para-Site\u0026quot; in Yaesu. In the process of creating a work of this size, I made a new discovery that I had not imagined. The feeling of creating a \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which is clearly larger than a human, is the same as many people would imagine, and the same feeling I had imagined: \u0026quot;building.\u0026quot; (※ Although the feeling was as I had imagined, it was more difficult than I had imagined.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat is what I felt when I was making \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards\u0026quot; and attaching the leather cover. I felt like I was putting a jacket on someone. I spread both my arms as far as I could, grabbed a piece of leather in each hand, and wrapped my arms around the book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis feeling was fresh to me, and the division between \u0026quot;books\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture,\u0026quot; which I had been exploring as the boundaries of changing the sense of scale, felt like a \u0026quot;human\u0026quot; would be inserted between them if I divided them a little more finely. This led to the new Book Para-Site series, which I presented at the \u0026quot;Pola Museum Annex Exhibition 2020.\u0026quot; And, taking this opportunity to add, in 2016, I drew a concept for a work called \u0026quot;Book Parasite,\u0026quot; in which a book is parasitized on furniture, in my sketchbook. I find it interesting that \u0026quot;Book Parasite,\u0026quot; which started out as a sense of scale furniture, was realized as architecture three years later, as an exhibition stand four years later, and then as furniture again in this exhibition, even though it is about me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003esource:\u003ca title=\"ota-bookarts\/bookartsjourney-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ota-bookarts.jp\/b-log\/2020\/03\/12\/bookartsjourney-2\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMarch 12, 2020 \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020\u0026quot; - Yasutomo Ota's Book Arts Journey (2)\u003c\/a\u003eFrom [OTABOOKARTS BLOG]\u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147598270632,"sku":"","price":462000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_cabinet_02.jpg?v=1648605151"},{"product_id":"book-para-site-19-rug","title":"Rug","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eA rug that resembles a book.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«Rug»\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe rug is so soft you'll want to rub your cheek against it, and what is carefully wrapped up inside it? Is it a book?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author, who never compromises on attention to detail, is surprisingly fond of \u0026quot;Rug.\u0026quot; What is the appeal of this soft book, which has neither stacked layers of paper nor delicate thread binding?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is wrapped so carefully is roughly speaking a flat paper board. A long shaggy rug is softly draped over it, creating a magnificent \u0026quot;chili\u0026quot; that is the key to hardbound books. This \u0026quot;chili\u0026quot; transforms the rug into a softly bound book cover, and the board into a book. On the edge is stamped in black, \u0026quot;the state of being physically relaxed and free from pain.\u0026quot; It looks just like the title stamped on the spine. The black stamp on the matte gold background and the generous chili each create a sense of weightiness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe slight roll-up on the edge of the book is a unique feature of this Rug. \u0026quot;Chiri\u0026quot; (written in kanji as \u0026quot;chiri\u0026quot;) refers to the inside of the cover that protrudes slightly from the top, bottom and edge of the book when the book is wrapped and finished. In addition to being a bookbinding term, it has also long existed as an architectural term, and the two terms refer to almost the same phenomenon. The architectural term \u0026quot;chiri\u0026quot; refers to the small steps that occur when parts are joined,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA part where two surfaces are slightly misaligned\u003c\/span\u003eIt is a part that is slightly misaligned. By making this misalignment shallower or deeper, it is possible to express spatial depth or lightness. From this, you can see that it is an expressive technique unique to the artist who has been comparatively studying architecture and books. Books are in the details.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf we were to sum up what is interesting about «Rug» in one word, its most distinctive feature would be that it has succeeded in creating a book with a minimum of steps. The ready-made rug is simply folded in half and wrapped, and the body is made of cardboard without any layers of paper, and is not creasing or stitched. By utilizing the materials as they are, the two materials have created a situation in which they each bring out the qualities of a book. This «Rug» can be said to be a great accidental discovery, and is a unique piece in the Book Para-Site series.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe origins of the Book Para-Site series come from a passage written by William Morris, who had the greatest influence on the author during his university days: \u0026quot;If I were asked what is the most important and most desirable product of 'art,' I would answer 'beautiful houses.' If I were asked what is the next most important and most desirable product, I would answer 'beautiful books.'\u0026quot; (From \u0026quot;The Ideal Book,\u0026quot; Chikuma Gakugei Bunko)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA message from the author about the concept of the Book Para-Site series:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eBooks and architecture are similar. Books also have things called \u0026quot;doors\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;pillars,\u0026quot; and they are also similar in that they are designed with the flow of traffic in mind. A book is smaller than a human being and can be held in the hand, while architecture is larger than a human being and can be entered with the body. Although the size is different, both are the universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;If asked what the most important art is, I would answer 'beautiful houses,' and next most importantly 'beautiful books.'\u0026quot; The words of William Morris, who had a great influence on me when I started making book art, also reveal the relationship between books and architecture. \u0026quot;Books\u0026quot; that exist as if they are parasitic on the shape of a building create a new \u0026quot;relationship between books and architecture.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e    Since 2019, some of the book art I create has become too big to hold in my hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe work \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which was exhibited at the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building in Yaesu, Tokyo from November 2019 as a selected work for the Brillia ART AWARD 2019, was the first time I, having always been conscious of Morris's words, attempted to look at the boundary between \u0026quot;book\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture\u0026quot; on a large scale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the exhibition \u0026quot;Brillia Culture Spice\u0026quot; held at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery in January 2020, I exhibited \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards\u0026quot; as a work following \u0026quot;Book Para-Site\u0026quot; in Yaesu. In the process of creating a work of this size, I made new discoveries that I had never imagined.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe feeling of constructing the \u0026quot;Book Para-Site,\u0026quot; which is obviously larger than a human being, is what many people would imagine, and what I also imagined: the feeling of \u0026quot;building.\u0026quot; (※ Although the feeling was as I imagined, it was more difficult than I had imagined.)\u003cbr\u003e    That is what I felt when I was making \u0026quot;Book Para-Site 2 - betwixt boards\u0026quot; and attaching the leather cover. I felt like I was putting a jacket on someone. I spread both my arms as far as I could, grabbed a piece of leather in each hand, and wrapped my arms around the book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This feeling was fresh to me, and the division between \u0026quot;books\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;architecture,\u0026quot; which I had been exploring as I changed the sense of scale, felt like a more detailed division would bring in \u0026quot;people\u0026quot; in between. This led to the new Book Para-Site series, which I presented at the \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI would also like to take this opportunity to add that in 2016, I drew in my sketchbook the concept for a piece called \u0026quot;Book Parasite,\u0026quot; in which books are parasitized on furniture. \u0026quot;Book Parasite\u0026quot; started out as a piece of furniture on a scale, but three years later it was turned into architecture, four years later into an exhibition stand, and finally it was realized as furniture again for this exhibition. I find it fascinating, even though it is about me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSource: March 12, 2020 \u003ca title=\"ota-bookarts\/bookartsjourney-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ota-bookarts.jp\/b-log\/2020\/03\/12\/bookartsjourney-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIn honour of the \u0026quot;POLA Museum Annex Exhibition 2020\u0026quot; -- Yasutomo Ota's Book Arts Journey (2)\u003c\/a\u003eFrom [OTABOOKARTS BLOG]\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Ema Otobe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147618816168,"sku":"","price":247500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ota_yasutomo_rug_02.jpg?v=1648608494"},{"product_id":"土木工要録","title":"Civil Engineering Workers' Record","description":"\u003ch1 style=\"text-align: left;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e A nameless person from 150 years ago\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesigned to protect against flooding\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA three-dimensional book. \u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe cover is very simple. Moreover, the theme is \u0026quot;civil engineering.\u0026quot; The outside and inside are extremely plain. I can't remember why I picked it up in the market again, but when I opened it, I was surprised at my first encounter with this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat surprised me so much was the structure of the explanatory diagrams. In essence, it was a bold book that explored how to convey the structure that is hidden in the completed stage. Flip over the completed diagram pasted on top to see the previous stage, and flip over that diagram to reveal the stage before that, like a see-through drawing. Today, we would use computer software to create diagrams in separate layers, but about 150 years ago, someone used their ingenuity to somehow complete a work using the minimum tools (the maximum available at the time) of paper and brush.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e          \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;This is a civil engineering construction manual that incorporates Western-style construction methods learned from foreigners employed by the Edo Shogunate Construction Department. It is highly regarded as a handmade work of labor in which numerous drawings are piled up and pasted together in a perspective style, from the foundations to the finish of the work.\u0026quot;\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.lib.muroran-it.ac.jp\/kityou\/dosen\/syomei\/dobokukouyouroku.html\" title=\"https:\/\/www.lib.muroran-it.ac.jp\/kityou\/dosen\/syomei\/dobokukouyouroku.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eMuroran Institute of Technology Library website\u003c\/a\u003etwist)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;Civil Engineering Yoroku\u0026quot; is a civil engineering technical book related to flood control. It consists of five volumes in total, including the main text on Heaven, Earth, and Man, and two appendices consisting of full-page explanatory diagrams. The book introduced here is one of the appendices.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHow to convey three-dimensional objects using two-dimensional tools? Before the rapid development of IT, this issue had long plagued the theme of visual culture.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThere is a three-dimensional picture book from the Edo period called \u0026quot;Chashitsu Okoshie.\u0026quot; Although it is amazing that \u0026quot;Okoshie\u0026quot; can be unfolded and folded again, it is still a model. This \u0026quot;Civil Engineering Record,\u0026quot; which aims to convey accurate information while remaining on a two-dimensional plane, seems somehow more noble.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEven today in the 21st century, not a year goes by without seeing disasters caused by rivers. Flood control is an eternal issue that could be called Japan's destiny. The gimmicks contained in this book are also the crystallization of the wisdom of nameless people who have seriously confronted the people, things, and events that are taken away by water.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;Civil Engineering Summary\u0026quot; was also selected as one of the \u0026quot;100 Great Works on Civil Engineering from Before the War\u0026quot; by the Civil Engineering Library of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e*As follows:\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/library.jsce.or.jp\/Image_DB\/s_book\/jsce100\/pdf\/24084\/24084_01.pdf\" title=\"大聖牛之圖- 中聖牛右淮木品重蛇籠寸間見 - 土木学会\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eDigital Archives of the Civil Engineering Library of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers\u003c\/a\u003eThere are some differences.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrame projection diagram = 1 pasted in missing, belly cage diagram = 2 pasted in (archive has no pasted in), ground stake driving barrel diagram = 3 missing \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42147732848808,"sku":"","price":55000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/dobokukoyouroku_00.jpg?v=1649219966"},{"product_id":"水貼りシール","title":"Department store water sticker","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eA tiny piece of paper that is now extinct,\u003cbr\u003eWater-based stickers from a department store.\u003cbr\u003ePrewar to 1960\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThese small, eye-catching pieces of paper, in shapes such as circles, squares, and diamonds, are stickers that were used to secure the edges of wrapping paper in storefronts from before the war until around 1960. This time, we will be introducing a collection that has been carefully stored in files and is in excellent condition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey are one of the most popular paper items, with many designs that are ingenious for small pieces of paper, such as embossing and die-cutting. People around the age of 60 are probably the last generation to remember them being used. Water-based stickers were used not only by department stores and chain stores but also by individual shops, but they have been replaced by convenient printed cellophane tape, and unfortunately, they are no longer seen at all today, making them a truly endangered species.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSurprisingly, secondhand bookstores have a deep connection with this, and there are some stories of stores that still have stocks of water-based stickers for price tags. There are also people who buy old books in order to see the water-based stickers on the back covers of books sold at secondhand bookstores.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike stamps, water-based stickers have glue on the back and are used by applying water. Nowadays, it seems that every store uses cellophane tape generously to wrap products, but in the old days, just as a stamp that suits an important letter would be gently sewn on, many different types of water-based stickers were used depending on the purpose, event, and store. Sticking one on at the end of the package would convey the feelings of the gift giver. Proof of this is that even a single store, such as the long-established department store Takashimaya, had 34 types of water-based stickers, Mitsukoshi had 24 types, and Daimaru had 25 types, with many different types of water-based stickers on hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the many water-applied stickers available, those from department stores are worthy of the status of a national brand, and many of them are highly accurate in every detail, such as the fineness of the illustrations and the height of the embossing. Since they are destined to be damaged and thrown away when unwrapping, there are almost no old ones left, but the ones being offered this time are all rare and unused.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout the names of water-based stickers:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's a paper item that you see relatively often, but the official name is unclear. Some customers have asked if it's not a \u0026quot;shitadashi label,\u0026quot; but I think that would be called by the manufacturer's name, like \u0026quot;Kamenoko Tawashi.\u0026quot; It could be called a trademark label, but this is mainly used for match labels, or for things that are directly attached to bottles, cans, boxes, etc., or attached to products. At Nichigetsudo, we call it a water-applied sticker, since it's used for these other types of labels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42148154278056,"sku":"","price":66000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/DSC_6351.jpg?v=1648553746"},{"product_id":"cartes-peinte","title":"CARTES PEINTE","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e27 artists participated\u003cbr\u003eIn the shape of a playing card\u003cbr\u003eA small collection of works.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eI found playing cards that I can't use. They were not originally made for playing (I assume). All 54 cards have different designs. Some of them have numbers and symbols drawn on them like regular playing cards, but that is only a small part of them. I took responsibility as the seller and tried to verify that all the cards were there, but it was a painstaking task. In conclusion, the images of Akira Shimizu and Natsuyuki Nakanishi are a bit far-fetched, so if you try to play a game of concentration with these cards, please be aware that your body may become weak.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe title \u0026quot;CARTES PEINTE\u0026quot; is French for picture cards, and in this case it refers to \u0026quot;original playing cards featuring works by 27 artists currently active at the forefront of contemporary art\u0026quot; (from the booklet).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe participants in the creation of these playing cards were Japanese artists active at the forefront of contemporary art, including Takamatsu Jiro, Akasegawa Genpei, Nakanishi Natsuyuki, Nakamura Hiroshi, Kikubata Mokuma, Yokoo Tadanori, Tanaami Keiichi, Murakami Yoshio, Usami Keiji, Kano Mitsuo, Ikeda Masuo, Nonaka Yuri, Motonaga Sadamasa, and Tanigawa Koichi. The accompanying booklet contains a list of cards and artists, as well as an introduction to the artists by art critic Ishizaki Koichiro. Two works by each of the 27 artists are used as illustrations, making it a collection of artwork dressed up as playing cards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis bold and groundbreaking project was realized by Edition Nancy, located in Antique Nancy, which was located in the Hanae Mori Building in Omotesando around 1980. The publisher was Isso Miura, a well-known contemporary dancer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn addition to the playing cards themselves, there are also items from the \u0026quot;Cult Panto Exhibition\u0026quot; (Ginza \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGALLERY505\u003c\/span\u003eIt comes with an invitation and a special envelope from the representative, Mario Nagamatsu. However, I don't know what year the playing cards were published and the exhibition was held. According to the chronology of participating artist Kei Suga, it was 1981, and according to Akira Shimizu, it was 1982, so I'm not sure which is which. In the first place, it's not necessarily true that the playing cards were published and the exhibition were held in the same year. Therefore, the exact time cannot be determined, and the truth remains a mystery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter some research, I found that the same product, «CARTES PEINTE», exists in two versions: a single product and a set of two. The product I am selling this time is a set of two, one of which is in mint condition and unused. It is a gem that you may never come across again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook Hunter Masago Sato's tweet:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt may not be widely known, but a surprising number of gallery direct mailings do not include dates, while on the Internet there are frequent cases of conflicting information, as in this case, making it one of the headaches for ephemera dealers to determine when an exhibition was held at a gallery.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI was lucky this time to find it from the artist's chronology (although it's inconsistent). For example, when did postal codes become 7 digits? When did phone numbers become 10 digits? Who is this person? When was this building completed? To avoid the sense of futility of searching and searching without finding any clues, I beg all galleries to please include the year in your DMs. Even if something happened 40 years ago, unless it is recorded correctly, it can be very easy to lose track of it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42173367713960,"sku":"","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/cartespeintes_01.jpg?v=1649219393"},{"product_id":"shochikuza-news-1926-1931","title":"Shochikuza News 1926-1931","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e Vanished like a comet\u003cbr\u003ePlato's\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMovie pamphlet\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e«Shochikuza News»\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrochures with eye-catching designs have become much less common these days. However, back in the heyday of Osaka, when it was known as Great Osaka, they were already around. They had excellent typography and graphic design, and were so attractive that you would want to get your hands on them no matter what.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePrewar movie theaters published \u0026quot;weekly reports\u0026quot; that provided information about the films currently showing at each theater and the films playing the following week. The cover design of the \u0026quot;Shochikuza\u0026quot; weekly report is particularly eye-catching. The company that designed the cover was Platon, which was a joint venture between Osaka cosmetics company Nakayama Taiyodo (now\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eClub Cosmetics\u003c\/span\u003e) was a legendary modernist publishing house founded by the late Robert Leclerc. In the six years between its founding in 1922 and its closure in 1928, it published literary and literary magazines inspired by fashion plates from the French luxury fashion magazine Gazette du Bon Ton.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe founded the magazine \u0026quot;Josei\u0026quot; and the high-class family entertainment magazine \u0026quot;Kuraku,\u0026quot; and demonstrated his talent for illustration and book design.\u003c\/span\u003eIt produced many famous designers, such as Yama Rokuro and Yamana Fumio, who later became famous at Shiseido. Of course, the advertisement for Club Cosmetics on the back cover is also a collection of excellent designs.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn particular, the pamphlet for \u0026quot;Metropolis\u0026quot; has many enthusiastic collectors overseas, perhaps due to the fact that it is a masterpiece of German silent film directed by Fritz Lang, or perhaps due to the synergistic effect of its innovative cover design influenced by avant-garde art. There are many variations of the pamphlet for \u0026quot;Metropolis\u0026quot;, and they are all masterpieces in terms of design. At one time, I thought I would try to collect them, and I collected about six or seven types, but since then I have seen different types, so I still don't know how many types there actually are. If anyone knows, I would appreciate your advice.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMasago Sato's ephemera episode:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003eIt was in 2001 that I first got my hands on a pamphlet for \u0026quot;Metropolis,\u0026quot; which has occasionally become a hot topic on Yahoo! Auctions in recent years, and I put it up for auction at a department store sale in January 2002.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the time, it was sold for an astonishing price of 35,000 yen, which was the selling price for \u0026quot;Metropolis\u0026quot; for a long time afterwards. I also remember vividly how excited two young men were when they showed up at the department store to collect the \u0026quot;Metropolis\u0026quot; that they had won at a bid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA single piece of paper can cost tens of thousands of yen! But there are still people looking for it! \u003cbr\u003e-It was the Shochikuza News that taught me the potential of paper items.\u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42176395772072,"sku":"","price":84000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/shochikunews_01.jpg?v=1649436209"},{"product_id":"日比野孝三の絵葉書","title":"Hibino Kozo's postcard","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e The time is the 1900s.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePortland on the West Coast of the United States\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThere was a general store called \u0026quot;Furuya Shoten.\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis is a collection of 125 Japanese and Western folded postcards from 1907 (Meiji 40) to 1912 (Taisho 1). The designs are extremely diverse, ranging from commemorative postcards from tourist spots and stylish New Year's cards to elaborate privately made postcards, and the sheer variety of items gives us a glimpse into the state of affairs at the time when mail was the primary means of communication.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrom the used address side, the owner was identified as Hibino Kozo, the branch manager of Yorozuya Furuya Shoten in the United States at that time. There are 51 postcards addressed to Hibino, 11 to other Japanese people, 4 postcards related to Shirokiya, 20 privately made postcards, and 8 unused official postcards from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (Seattle). Many of the used postcards are domestic mail in the United States, suggesting interactions with fellow Americans in various locations. It is unfortunate that there are few business-related contacts, but the condition is good, and the pictures and photographs, as well as details such as stamps and postmarks, can be enjoyed as graphic elements.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026quot;Yorozuya refers to a grocery store where Japanese immigrants who emigrated to North America imported and sold various miscellaneous goods from Japan, mainly food. However, their business was not limited to food and was wide-ranging, and many of them ran operations similar to those of today's general trading companies, making them true Yorozu...Japanese immigrants who emigrated overseas had already been importing food and miscellaneous goods since the end of the 19th century...At that time in Portland, there were stores such as Furuya Shoten, Ban Shoten, and Matsushima Shoten.\u0026quot;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e2016\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kikkoman.co.jp\/kiifc\/info\/rp20160326.html\" title=\"https:\/\/www.kikkoman.co.jp\/kiifc\/info\/rp20160326.html\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/www.kikkoman.co.jp\/kiifc\/info\/rp20160326.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKikkoman Food Culture Lecture: \u0026quot;The World of Yorozuya and Japanese Food\u0026quot;\u003c\/a\u003eMarch 26, 2016 Shigeru Kojima \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cp\u003eFrom just one postcard, we can learn about the relationship between sender and recipient, the time and place, and the concrete existence of the person who lived there.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe first paper item I won at a market was a postcard. At the time, old postcards were not very popular, and even at the market, they were shoved under a display stand in the corner of the venue, so it was obvious that they were being neglected. I first bought postcards like this when I was running a store in Ookayama, and I started buying them as a way to overcome the situation where even the 100 yen books in the store were not selling at all. Most of the postcards I won at a bid, which filled an entire mandarin orange box, were photographs of tourist spots overseas, and there were about 10 of Mont Saint-Michel alone. When I put them up in a prominent place in the store, they sold like hot cakes for 300 yen each. I got a taste of selling postcards.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWe mainly purchased items that Japanese people had bought overseas, but as we began to get our hands on items with stylish pre-war designs, we also began to include more postcards that Japanese people had sent to homes overseas when they were not at home.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor example, postcards (usually written entirely in katakana) addressed to young children left behind in Japan by fathers who have been posted overseas for long periods alone are particularly full of emotion, and I realized how fascinating it is to read postcards. Behind the humorous words that hide loneliness and soothe the children, a human being emerges from the page.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI think it was also postcards that first taught me the fun and depth of working with ephemera.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42176396165288,"sku":"","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/yorozuya_01.jpg?v=1649436385"},{"product_id":"trees","title":"Trees","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWajima cedar bark paper and\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNew York Maple\u003cbr\u003eHaute couture.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is a masterpiece published in 1988 by Kaldway Press in New York, one of the world's leading artbook publishers. The author is Gunnar Kaldway himself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the title of the book is written in the plural \u0026quot;Trees,\u0026quot; this book does not focus on any particular trees. The book is written in poetry with bold prints, depicting a universal perspective on the situation in which \u0026quot;trees\u0026quot; are placed and the shapes of \u0026quot;trees.\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe material for the illustration is a maple tree. It is a giant tree over 200 years old that grows in Poestenkill, New York, about a three-hour drive from Manhattan. The printing is done by Kaldway himself using letterpress. The type is 30-point Futura (as stated in the colophon). And the paper is cedar bark paper by Tono Shusaku. Only 40 copies were made in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe value of this book lies in the fact that it is wrapped in Tono Shusaku's cedar bark paper.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTonomi Shusaku is a paper maker who set up a papermaking facility in Wajima on the Noto Peninsula. He moved to Jinko, on the edge of the Noto Peninsula, which was not originally a washi-producing region, and while he made a living by making wrapping paper for Wajima gorokuwan bowls, he began making washi in earnest around 1949. His unique washi, which does not rely on paper mulberry but incorporates natural elements such as soil and grass from the surrounding area, is called Notonigyo washi, and he began receiving orders from all over the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the name suggests, cedar bark paper is a type of washi paper made from the bark of cedar trees, and was invented by Tono Shusaku. It all started after the war, when he was struggling to get hold of paper mulberry, and he came across some cedar bark that had been trampled on and discarded in the corner of a lumber mill. The image of the cedar bark, wet and golden from being hit by the rain, was burned into his memory. So he gave up on making washi paper from paper mulberry, but at first it didn't work out. The coarse, thick fibers of the cedar were extremely difficult to handle, so after much trial and error, he finally succeeded in making it, mixing in fibers from Noto hiba.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book was published in 1988, the year of Shusaku Tomi's death. The colophon states that the paper was \u0026quot;Paper by Shusaku Tomi, Wajima, Japan\u0026quot; and that it was made on Shusaku Tomi's cedar bark paper. If so, this may have been his last work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThus, Gunnar Kaldway chose Shusaku Tonoumi of Wajima, a master of natural art, to complete his concept of \u0026quot;Trees.\u0026quot; He ordered cedar bark paper, traveled to Poestenkill to create illustrations from a 200-year-old maple tree, and released a limited number of copies through his private press, Kaldway Press. This is indeed a remarkable work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180747133096,"sku":"","price":200000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/Trees_KaldeweyPress_01.jpg?v=1649441111"},{"product_id":"nederlandse-postzegels-1987-88","title":"Nederlandse postzegels 1987+88","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e The genius Irma Bohm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA rare occurrence in the history of books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA beautiful failure. \u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis is a book that Irma worked on while she was working at the Dutch national printing and publishing department (Staatsdrukkerij en). The client was the Dutch national postal company (PTT), which was working on the historic stamp yearbook that had been produced almost every year since 1920 by pioneers of Dutch design such as Karel Martens. Irma, who was still unknown at the time, was tasked with producing the two yearbooks for 1987 and 1988.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIrma's design philosophy was to include all of the stamp designs issued and postmarks used that year, while also associatively arranging other images that can be related to the stamp designs and motifs, in an attempt to make the stamp designs stand out above a host of other images.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe mechanism that makes the stamp design appear multi-layered is clearly reflected in the printing and binding methods. The biggest feature is the sewn-in binding. It is different from uncut or sewn binding because it is not intended to be cut. When I first held it in my hands, I was truly surprised by this mechanism. When you hold it up to the light, the image printed on the inside appears like a watermark. Like a ghost of the image.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIrma printed a different image on the inside of the sewn-in booklet, which is never opened, than on the front. The pages visible on the front are printed in four colors using offset lithography, while the inside of the booklet is printed in one color black. When you look through the colored pages, it creates the effect of making ghosts of the past appear. This was before the collapse of the Showa bubble in Japan. This was before computer design, so Irma cut and pasted together the vast amount of image material he had collected, and used a Xerox printer.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe two yearbooks that were completed in this way were panned as \u0026quot;Brilliant Failures\u0026quot; and stamp collectors returned many copies and complaints. It may have been disappointing for those who were hoping for a catalogue with stamps arranged in an easy-to-read format. This was more like an exhibition on paper than a catalogue. However, it is interesting that Irma Bohm's first commercial publication was a failure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnyway, this was the first book design published by Irma Bohm when she was just 27 years old, before she became the most famous book designer in the world, and it was also her first award-winning book design. Even now, when Irma Bohm has produced many masterpieces and is praised as the \u0026quot;Queen of Books,\u0026quot; this fragrant \u0026quot;failure\u0026quot; still shines brightly.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFinally, we will end with an excerpt from an interview that gives a good insight into Irma Bohm's approach to book design.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003ch3\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"color: #000666;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000666;\"\u003e\u0026quot;If I compare my work to architecture, I don't build villas, I build social housing. Books are made industrially, so they have to be made very well. I'm in a sense for industrial production. That's why I don't like single books. With a single book, you can do anything. But to print in large numbers, you always have to be challenged. It's never art. Never, never, never.\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000666;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000666;\"\u003e“I compare my work to architecture. I don't build villas, I build social housing. The books are industrially made and they need to be made very well. I am all for industrial production. I hate one-offs. On one book you can do anything, but if you do a print run, that is a challenge. It's never art. Never, never, never.”\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003c\/h3\u003e  \u003cp\u003esource:\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.printmag.com\/design-books\/8-snippets-of-design-wisdom-from-book-designer-irma-boom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u0026quot;PRINT\u0026quot; from July 31, 2018\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180762992808,"sku":"","price":55000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/postzegels_01.jpg?v=1649434101"},{"product_id":"golf-flicker-book","title":"Golf Flicker Book","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIssued by Harrods\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTo teach golf\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFlip book.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp class=\"p1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is a rare Flickr book published by the luxury department store Harrods.\u003cbr\u003eFlip books were created in England about 100 years ago, in the early days of sports, department stores, and movies, as educational materials that moved in the palm of your hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is about the then British amateur golf champion, Cyril Torrey (C.J.H.Tolley) demonstrates how to swing a driver and an iron, just as if you were watching a video tutorial.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis was an idea in an era when there were no free online videos like today, no DVDs or VHS tapes, and it was difficult to copy footage and share it with others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is a few-second sequence of Cyril Torrey himself, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and tie, probably because that was the custom at the time, swinging a driver and an iron. Dozens of photos taken at a fixed point are printed stop-motion, and because it is double-sided, you can enjoy either the driver or the iron depending on which way you flip through the pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe company that produced this book is a London company called \u0026quot;Flicker Productions\u0026quot;. In the 1920s, they started making Flickerbooks under the slogan \u0026quot;FLICKERS Teach the Game\u0026quot;. Their aim was clear. They thought that if they could freely play back every move of top players representing each field in frame-by-frame, it would be something that all sports enthusiasts would want, regardless of nationality. So, they got Harrods involved and made it into a publishing business, so even though it's small in size, it's a big-scale book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe series began with cricket, then tennis, then golf (this is the 12th Flickerbook), and continues with other popular British sports of the time, including lacrosse, football, swimming, hockey, billiards and greyhound racing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLooking at the lineup, we can see that they are all sports where \u0026quot;form\u0026quot; is important. If you can move your body in the same way as top-of-the-line professionals, you will definitely improve. Moreover, the planning ability to focus only on \u0026quot;ideal form\u0026quot; makes sense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is a pleasant coincidence that the man behind this series was a major figure in the British film industry. The cameraman behind the Flickerbook series was Scottish businessman Norman Loudon. He experimented with high-speed photography, which was rare at the time, and made Flickerbook a reality. Then, whether it was because the book series was such a big hit or not, he bought a vast plot of land from an aristocrat in Shepperton, Surrey, in 1931, and established a film studio called Shepperton Studios. Many of the most famous films of the 20th century, from \u0026quot;A Clockwork Orange\u0026quot; to \u0026quot;Alien\u0026quot;, would later be shot here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's a small stapled book, and it was a \u0026quot;used book,\u0026quot; so it's rare to find one in good condition. Still, it's an interesting book as a rare book that made a big splash in early 20th century Britain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e※※List of titles in the \u0026quot;Flickers teach the game\u0026quot; series\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCricket\u003cbr\u003eBy Don Bradman\u003cbr\u003e  No.1 Drives\u003cbr\u003e  No.2 Cuts\u003cbr\u003e  No.3 Pull\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e└By C.VGrimmett\u003cbr\u003e  No.4 Leg Break\u003cbr\u003e  No.5 Googley\u003cbr\u003e  No.6 Overspin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTennis\u003cbr\u003e By Miss Betty Nuthall\u003cbr\u003e  No.7 Drives\u003cbr\u003e  No.8 Service and Volley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By H.WAustin\u003cbr\u003e  No.9 Drives\u003cbr\u003e  No.10 Service and Smash\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGolf\u003cbr\u003e By Bobby Jones\u003cbr\u003e  No.11a Drive and Mashie\u003cbr\u003e  No.11b Brassie and Iron\u003cbr\u003e  No.11c Out the Rough and Putt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By C.J.H. Tolley\u003cbr\u003e  No.12 Drive and Iron Shots\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFootball\u003cbr\u003e By Gallacher and Cheyne\u003cbr\u003e  No.14 Goal and Header\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSwimming\u003cbr\u003e By AMERICAN GIRL CHAMPIONS\u003cbr\u003e  No.15 High Dives\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHockey\u003cbr\u003e By Miss K. Doman\u003cbr\u003e  No.16 Fielding, etc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreyhound Racing\u003cbr\u003e  No.20 Hurdling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBadminton\u003cbr\u003e By Mr. J.F.Devlin\u003cbr\u003e  No.21 Smash and Drop Shot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSkating\u003cbr\u003e By Miss Sonja Henie\u003cbr\u003e  No.22 Spreadeagle Jump\u003cbr\u003e  No.23 One Foot Spin\u003cbr\u003e  No.24 Spin and Jump\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShooting\u003cbr\u003eMr. R. Churchill\u003cbr\u003e  No.25 Shooting\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJUNIOR SERIES\u003cbr\u003e  No.31 Monkeys\u003cbr\u003e  No.32 Pelicans\u003cbr\u003e  No.33 Polar Bears\u003cbr\u003e  No.34 Eagles\u003cbr\u003e  No.35 Flip the Frog\u003cbr\u003e  No.36 Mickey Mouse - Cheese-Trap\u003cbr\u003e  No.37 Mickey Mouse - Cat-Catcher\u003cbr\u003e  No.38 Greyhounds\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180768268456,"sku":"","price":24000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/golf_01.jpg?v=1649434325"},{"product_id":"only-box-lonely-scombroid","title":"only-box «Lonely Scombroid»","description":"\u003ch1\u003ePost it empty,\u003cbr\u003eDue to scratches, marks, and postmarks\u003cbr\u003eArt completed in mid-air.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe only-box series is a \u0026quot;book box\u0026quot; created by poet Takashi Hiraide by arranging various stamps, stickers, and sometimes stamps. The box is mailed empty, and is completed by scratches, scuffs, and postmarks. No two are alike.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis \u0026quot;Lonely Scombroid\u0026quot; is a bookcase with old stamps of Japanese fish and finished with postmarks. The typeface is Jean-Luc. It was mailed to the Japan Foundation, Toronto for the \u0026quot;Takashi Hiraide Exhibition\u0026quot; held in Toronto in 2016.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTakashi Hiraide is a poet, author, and book designer. Although he published many books of poetry, including \u0026quot;For the Fighting Spirit of Walnuts,\u0026quot; he soon gave up on the poetry and publishing world, and began exploring other possibilities, such as publishing himself, by presiding over the \u0026quot;via wwalnuts\u0026quot; series, in which he sends out books with a postage stamp attached.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust as the works undergo unexpected changes in the kiln, this only-box series is completed by accidental scratches and postmarks by the postal worker after being posted in a red post. You won't know until you actually receive it. That's what's interesting about it. The front of the box is already engraved with text, which may be a reflection of the repeated printing of the postal service as a publication.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/only-box-01a-h-624x416_480x480.jpg?v=1649683493\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/only-box-01a-h-624x416_480x480.jpg?v=1649683493\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eonly-box «Lonely Scombroid» \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebox for 9 brochures of via wwalnuts.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003elimited to 1.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eType: Jean-Luc\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003especially designed with semi-old Japanese stamps of fishes \u0026amp; the postal cancellation mark.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003efirst sent to Japan Foundation Toronto for TH's exhibition in Autumn of 2016.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ethen to you as a book post in crystal parcel after the exhibition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180776689832,"sku":"","price":44440.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/onlybox_01.jpg?v=1649434695"},{"product_id":"onlybox-b","title":"only Tomb x «Bending and Ceremony of the Conqueror»","description":"\u003ch2 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePost it empty,\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDue to scratches, marks, and postmarks\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eArt completed in mid-air.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003c\/h2\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe only-box series is a project by poet Takashi Hiraide in which he creates boxes by arranging various postage stamps, stickers, and sometimes stamps. Each box is made individually, with postmarks, scratches, and scuffs, and is completed by treating the boxes to prevent crushing and posting them empty.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis \u0026quot;Homage to Shiki Masaoka\u0026quot; box has a postmark and a bird of a slightly old era. The typeface is Garamond. It was mailed to the Japan Foundation, the Toronto Cultural Centre, for the \u0026quot;Takashi Hiraide Exhibition\u0026quot; held in Toronto in 2016.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHiraide Takashi is a poet, author, and book designer. While he has written many books of poetry, including \u0026quot;For the Fighting Spirit of Walnuts,\u0026quot; he soon gave up on the established poetry and publishing world, and is the founder of the \u0026quot;via wwalnuts\u0026quot; series, in which he personally attaches stamps to the books and sends them out. What's interesting about this only-box series is that it is completed in mid-air. It's impossible to predict what will happen after you mail it, such as accidental scratches or the way the postmark is placed. By having the text engraved on the front, he may be repeating the printing process, regarding mailing as publishing.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/only-box-01a-h-624x416_480x480.jpg?v=1649683493\" alt=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/files\/only-box-01a-h-624x416_480x480.jpg?v=1649683493\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eonly-box «Homage to Shiki Masaoka» \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ebox for 9 brochures of via wwalnuts.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003elimited to 1.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eType: Garamond\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003especially designed with semi-old Japanese stamps of poet \u0026amp; bird. the postal cancellation marked.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003efirst sent to Japan Foundation Toronto for TH's exhibition in Autumn of 2016.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ethen to you as a book post in crystal parcel after the exhibition.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003esale prices for hard damage.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180779344040,"sku":"","price":44440.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/onlybox_b_01.jpg?v=1649434839"},{"product_id":"sent-a-letter","title":"SENT A LETTER\/Dayanita Singh","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180781244584,"sku":"","price":165000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/sentaletter_01.jpg?v=1649435010"},{"product_id":"sweet-was-the-song","title":"Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sung","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eWeak, yet divine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBen Shahn's music picture book.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMOMA, 1956\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe cover is wrapped in sheepskin. It is simply bound with thin, hand-sewn black string. But it doesn't look shabby; rather, it exudes a noble dignity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe score and illustrations, drawn with Shahn's trembling lines, are printed in black and white on handmade Italian paper. This paper is also great. It feels like dry cotton paper, and has a nice crisp feel to it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book's title, \u0026quot;Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sung,\u0026quot; is an old hymn of unknown authorship. It is also known as the \u0026quot;Lute-book lullaby,\u0026quot; and was originally a solo piece accompanied by a lute. The lute is a plucked-string instrument that is similar in shape to the oud in the Middle East and the biwa in Japan, and produces sound by plucking the strings, without using a bow. This lute lullaby was compiled and established by the lutenist William Ballet in the early 17th century, and is an old piece that is now sometimes sung on Christ's birthday.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are various versions of the lyrics, but for reference, here is one example. Ben Shahn also illustrated these lyrics with the musical score.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSweet was the song the Virgin song,\u003cbr\u003eWhen she, when she to Bethlem Judas came,\u003cbr\u003eAnd was delivered of a Son,\u003cbr\u003eThat blessed Jesus hath to name.\u003cbr\u003eLulla, lulla, lula, lullaby,\u003cbr\u003eLula, lula, lula, lullaby, sweet Babe, sung she,\u003cbr\u003eMy son, and eke a savior born,\u003cbr\u003eWho has vouchsafed from on high\u003cbr\u003eTo visit us that were forlorn;\u003cbr\u003eLalula, lalula, lalulaby, sweet babe, sang she,\u003cbr\u003eAnd rockt Him sweetly on her knee.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy the way, Ben Shahn's paintings have a basso continuo of a gaze on weakness, rooted in his own experiences. He went through many hardships before he became independent as an artist. He was born as the son of a poor woodcarver in Kaunas, Lithuania (formerly Kovno, Russian Empire), and moved to New York with his family to escape persecution of the Jews. He was driven out of his hometown and moved to Brooklyn, where there were many immigrant manual laborers and unemployed people, and he himself was one of them, living at the bottom of society, drinking muddy water. While working in a lithograph studio, he taught himself art, and finally managed to make a living by drawing the pictures he loved. Of course, the lines tremble. The inner voice of the weak people in front of his eyes is transmitted to his fingertips as vibrations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book is one of 275 limited editions released by MOMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) in 1956. That same year, Ben Shahn exhibited at the MOMA exhibition \u0026quot;Modern American Art: Painting, Sculpture, Prints,\u0026quot; but the connection to this book is unclear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStill, it’s a beautiful little piece.\u003cbr\u003eIn the future, I would like to continue to feature Ben Shahn as an author, such as the lithographs of Rilke's \u0026quot;The Notes of Malte Laureate,\u0026quot; which he created at the Mourlot workshop in his later years, and his \u0026quot;Lucky Dragon\u0026quot; series, which depicts the Lucky Dragon No. 5.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180805001384,"sku":"","price":100000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/sweetwasthesong_09.jpg?v=1649639587"},{"product_id":"die-krahe-winterreise","title":"Die Krähe Winterreise","description":"\u003ch1 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI love Schubert so much\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe dyer and weaver who dyed the sheet music,\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTokujiro Kojima.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"s1\"\u003eThis book is about the dyeing and weaving\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTokujiro Kojima\u003c\/span\u003eI love\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"s1\"\u003eThis is a large collection of stencil-dyed artworks based on the score of Schubert's \u0026quot;Die Krähe Winterreise (Winter Journey of the Crows).\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTokujiro Kojima was born into a family of dyers specializing in Yuzen dyeing in Tokyo.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe was born in 1912, the same year as John Cage and Jackson Pollock.\u003c\/span\u003eWhen he was about 30 years old, he happened to visit the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and came across Serizawa Keisuke's stencil dyeing paintings, which left a deep impression on him. Soon after, he knocked on Serizawa Keisuke's door and ended up moving next door to the Serizawa family home in Kamata at the time. He lived next door and became Serizawa Keisuke's beloved apprentice, working hard in his studio, while also becoming deeply involved with the Mingei movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this environment, Japanese production areas, Japanese climate, and Japanese folk art motifs are what ferment into my own dyeing style.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn Tokujiro's case, it was a little different. His apprentice and disciple, Okamura Kichiemon, painted the Japanese spirit with Japanese techniques,\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eTokujiro said,\u003c\/span\u003eI have always been drawn to Gregorian chant scores and miniature medieval prayer books, and have adapted them to my own style.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTokujiro's\u003c\/span\u003eHis master, Serizawa Keisuke, was a Living National Treasure dyer and collector of antiques. He had an interest in folk tools, antiques and old tools from all over the world, collecting rare items from all over Asia to Africa. He would silently and carelessly leave his items on his desk or in a corner of his room, not to show them to others. However, his eye for the items was so great that Masako Shirasu remarked, \u0026quot;The same eye shines over an ordinary tin painting or a spoon as when looking at a Momoyama period folding screen.\u0026quot; The shop was packed with items from around the world.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSerizawa Residence\u003c\/span\u003eThe strange atmosphere of the place became the nourishment that allowed dyer and weaver Tokujiro Kojima to create his own unique world of dyeing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTokujiro is\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe also loved music. His passion was\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eIt was such an essential part of life that people carried large gramophones with them to their evacuation sites during the war.\u003c\/span\u003eHe especially loved Verdi's operas and Schubert's lieds (art songs), which he would always play in his studio like a radio. It was a natural progression from this that he began stencil-dyeing music notes, and at the age of 77, he created this book.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eis.\u003c\/span\u003eThis is the last major work of his life, and his last collection of stencil prints. Only 80 copies are available.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt was wrapped in a case that I had dyed myself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis book \u0026quot;\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe Black Winter Festival\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe subject of this piece is Schubert's \u0026quot;Winterreise - No. 15 The Crow\u0026quot;.\u003c\/span\u003eThis is a masterpiece composed by Franz Schubert in 1827. Born in Vienna, Schubert died at the young age of 31. During his short life, he rarely traveled.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSchubert\u003c\/span\u003eHowever, he met Wilhelm Müller, a poet of the late Romantic period, and set Muller's poems to music to create the song cycle \u0026quot;Winterreise.\u0026quot; Although his friends disapproved of the work, saying \u0026quot;it's too dark for me to like,\u0026quot; Schubert himself was the only one who liked it. It is said that he died of either typhoid fever or mercury poisoning as a treatment for syphilis, but the story that he was proofreading the score of \u0026quot;Winterreise\u0026quot; until just before his death shows that he was looking forward to its completion more than anyone else.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe stencil-dyed music score in this book features a crow and a traveller.\u003c\/span\u003eIn the West, crows\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"ILfuVd\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"hgKElc\"\u003eConnecting this world with the next\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot; symbol, that\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA song about a crow clinging to a traveller and not letting go\u003c\/span\u003eThis scene truly symbolizes the darkness that Schubert's friends detested.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIf you look closely at the works of Tokujiro Kojima,\u003c\/span\u003eThe twelve stencil-dyed scores are all richly colorful and evocative of death.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"s1\"\u003eThere is no sign of any gloomy scenes. Where have the graveyard crows, the ominous crows gone? Rather, they are depicted as \u0026quot;traveling crows\u0026quot; that travel with us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere is my hypothesis. I think Tokujiro adapted Schubert's crow to a Japanese crow. Not the modern crows that are shunned as a nuisance, but the \u0026quot;Yatagarasu\u0026quot;, a symbol of the sun god.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;The Winter Reception\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003eThe crow depicted is the legendary \u0026quot;Yatagarasu\u0026quot; crow that guided Kamuyamatoiwarebiko (later Emperor Jimmu) from Kumano to Yamato during the Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki myths. In this case, the traveler is Kamuyamatoiwarebiko, and the journey must have taken him through the rugged forests from Kumano to Yamato.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt would not be surprising if Kojima Tokujiro was secretly plotting such an alteration.\u003c\/span\u003eI finally realized that ``Traveling Glass'' was the best choice after all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe genius of Tokujiro Kojima, who drew attention from around the world with his Japanese dyeing technique known as katazome-e, is still not well known. Even in today's Japan, where the Mingei movement is attracting attention again, no one has properly introduced him. Still, what he was trying to achieve was something like a Bunraku puppeteer manipulating a guignol or a Kabuki actor performing Shakespeare.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePerhaps it was the poetic spirit of Mingei, which fluctuated between Japan and the world, that ultimately transformed Crow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"s1\"\u003eSchubert himself passed away early without revealing who the traveler in \u0026quot;Winterreise\u0026quot; was or where he was traveling. Nevertheless, Tokujiro Kojima's stencil-dyed painting of \u0026quot;Winterreise: Crows\u0026quot; is full of hymns to life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026quot;The Krähe\u0026quot;\u003cbr\u003eLyricist: Wilhelm Müller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA blacksmith fought with me \u003cbr\u003eAt the city centre,\u003cbr\u003eThis is for and for \u003cbr\u003eMy heart is full of germs.\u003cbr\u003eKrähe, Wunderliches Tier, \u003cbr\u003eWill I get this? \u003cbr\u003eMeinst wohl bald als Beute hier \u003cbr\u003eDo you want to leave my house?\u003cbr\u003eNun, es wird nicht weit mehr gehen \u003cbr\u003eAn dem Wanderstabe.\u003cbr\u003eKrähe, lass mich endlich sehn \u003cbr\u003eCome on!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA crow leaves that town\u003cbr\u003eFollowed me\u003cbr\u003eWithout ceasing to this day\u003cbr\u003eIt was flying above my head\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCrow, you weirdo\u003cbr\u003eAre you not going to abandon me?\u003cbr\u003eMaybe soon here\u003cbr\u003eYou're going to feed on my body\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWell, no matter how much I hold on to my cane\u003cbr\u003eI can't go any further.\u003cbr\u003eCrow, show me one last time\u003cbr\u003eSincerity that lasts to the grave\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eText by Osamu Kushida\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180807458984,"sku":"","price":330000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/karas_kojima_tokujiro_00.jpg?v=1649435607"},{"product_id":"isegoyomi-shimacho","title":"Stripe book pasted in the Ise calendar","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180811227304,"sku":"","price":200000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/isegoyomi_06.jpg?v=1661249990"},{"product_id":"le-corbeau","title":"LE CORBEAU","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180814766248,"sku":"","price":160000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/oogarasu_poe_01.jpg?v=1649435998"},{"product_id":"monbuncho","title":"Crest Book","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42180817223848,"sku":"","price":27500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/monbuncho_01_a55c0451-bafa-411a-ae79-addfeb385ca6.jpg?v=1649441344"},{"product_id":"剪花娘子-庫淑蘭","title":"Sweet Flower Girls Koshuran","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI've never seen paper cuttings like this.\u003cbr\u003ePaper flowers blooming on the Loess Plateau.\u003cbr\u003e«Sharuka Musumeko Kushuran» 1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eChina has built up a culture of agriculture and handicrafts for thousands of years since ancient times. Agriculture built the material foundation, while handicrafts nurtured people's high spirituality and diverse aesthetic sense, and these traditions have been passed down to the present day. Today, as we are being baptized by modern science, we are losing opportunities to experience excellent handicraft work and the people who make them.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;Flower-Cutting Girl Ku Shulan\u0026quot; traces the paper-cutting creative process of Ku Shulan (1920-2007), a woman who lived in a kiln on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, and explores the unique charm of the paper-cutting craft created by a single folk artist. The publisher is Huang Yongsong of Hansheng, known as the godfather of Taiwanese publishing. This is a miraculous book born from the meeting of a paper-cutting genius and an editing god.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe front and back of the sturdy outer box are printed with two works: \u0026quot;Flower-Cutting Girl,\u0026quot; the god of paper-cutting that Ku Shulan created as her own incarnation, and the Tree of Life. Countless people are overwhelmed by the colorful and rich image, which can be said to be Ku Shulan's masterpiece. Inside the sleeve-style box are two softcover books. The first book explains Ku Shulan's unique paper-cutting creation process. First, motifs and patterns are extracted and classified from the work. The content shows the creative process captured in close-up interviews, and presents examples of the various expression methods and techniques that can be used for a single motif. The first half of the second book tells Ku Shulan's own story and the cultural customs of the Loess Plateau in text, and the second half introduces works created in her later years and song lyrics related to each work.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePaper-cutting is an ancient Chinese art of cutting pictures, and in the Loess Plateau where Ku Shulan lived, there is a tradition of women cutting paper in between farming. From annual events to turning points in life, such as paper-cutting for celebrations, funerals, and healing, paper-cutting was an essential part of the lives of the people of the Loess Plateau. Throughout its long history, paper-cutting has developed in different ways in different regions across China, but the main concepts are the same in every region, such as \u0026quot;cutting an image from a single sheet of paper,\u0026quot; \u0026quot;using only single-colored paper,\u0026quot; \u0026quot;coloring with a brush after cutting out white paper,\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;using limited motifs of animals or symbols that are considered to be auspicious.\u0026quot; However, Ku Shulan was an exception.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn terms of her work, she used a variety of colored paper, cutting each part into pieces, layering them, and pasting them together with homemade glue, creating her own unique world of paper cutting that no one had ever seen before. The motifs she took up were not based on good or bad luck or tradition, but instead included everyday tableware and furniture, garden trees and fruit, her own dreams and religious paintings, and she simply continued to cut out whatever she wanted to cut out.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAnother thing worth mentioning is that she always sang while cutting paper. In this book, lyrics are introduced, ranging from folk songs from the Loess Plateau to playful songs that she arranged herself. The act of cutting paper continuously may have been a way for her to offer prayers, as if to escape from the reality of her impoverished life, as if to make her fantasy become reality.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe first edition was published in Taiwan in 1997 in traditional Chinese. This book is the second edition in traditional Chinese published in 2019. A simplified Chinese version was published in mainland China in 2009.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eAbout Hansei:\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBorn in Taiwan, Han Sheng magazine is a publication unlike any other in the world. With tenacious editorial skills and imaginative book design, it focuses on the folk culture that is supported by the energy of the Chinese people. Han Sheng's endeavors go beyond the boundaries of Chinese culture and have a strong impact on thoughtful people throughout Asia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42182056083624,"sku":"","price":12000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/Hangsheng_a_01.jpg?v=1649478359"},{"product_id":"漢聲雑誌116-117-曹雪芹風箏圖譜","title":"Cao Xue Ziang Ligation Yan Feng Koto Picture","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eFor the Weak\u003cbr\u003eReported by Cao Xueqin of \u0026quot;Dream of the Red Chamber\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe legendary kite instruction manual.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe box is cut out with the outline of a swallow kite, and the cover shows a swallow-shaped kite swimming in a rainbow-colored sky. The sight of 73 different kinds of colorful swallow-shaped kites appearing as you turn the pages is very impressive. The book has been highly praised overseas for its uniquely Chinese exotic charm and bold national character, and in 2007 it won the World's Most Beautiful Book Competition (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.stiftung-buchkunst.de\/en\/best-book-design-from-all-over-the-world\/the-competition\/\" title=\"https:\/\/www.stiftung-buchkunst.de\/en\/best-book-design-from-all-over-the-world\/the-competition\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBEST BOOK DESIGN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD\u003c\/a\u003e) won the grand prize.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCao Xueqin's Yanfeng Zheng Tufu is a book that stands out for its visual beauty, but it also has a profound spiritual beauty.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe first book in the two-volume set is \u0026quot;Cao Xueqin Zhao Yan Feng Zheng Tupu.\u0026quot; As the name suggests, the book is centered around illustrations and introduces all 73 Swallow Kites in color. It is packed with content that is unparalleled, including not only the structure and tips on how to make them, but also the genealogy of kites (like a family tree). The fact that Cao Xueqin anthropomorphized the kite, which was originally a toy, and created a genealogy based on age, gender, body type, and interrelationships shows that Cao Xueqin himself treasured the Swallow Kites. The second book is \u0026quot;Cao Xueqin Zhao Yan Feng Zheng Kaogongzhi.\u0026quot; Kaogongzhi is the name of the oldest technical book in China, and is still used today in specialized books on structure, standards, and manufacturing techniques, such as the manufacture of musical instruments and urban planning. This book mainly introduces the \u0026quot;songs,\u0026quot; or \u0026quot;songs,\u0026quot; that are essential to making Swallow Kites. If the first book is its visual beauty, the second book is the source of the book's spiritual beauty.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn the first place, Cao Xueqin published the original work \u0026quot;Nanyubei Kigongji\u0026quot; (The year of publication is unknown, and it may not have been published at all) as one of the eight volumes in the \u0026quot;Collected Drafts of Disused Arts\u0026quot; series. The concept common to all the series is vocational guidance for the disadvantaged. It was a practical book written with the aim of improving the living environment of people in socially disadvantaged positions such as people with disabilities, poor young people who cannot receive an education, and the elderly, by entrusting them with skills and cultivating their self-sufficiency rather than sympathizing with them. The series also covers a wide range of themes such as cooking, landscaping, seal carving, and dyeing and weaving.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe reason Cao Xueqin chose kite-making as one of her themes was that a friend of hers developed a leg injury, was unable to make ends meet, and asked Cao Xueqin for advice. Cao Xueqin believed that having a skill would be a fundamental improvement, so she taught her friend, who was already skilled with her hands, how to make kites and instructed him to take them to sell to wealthy people. The plan was a great success, and the friend visited Cao Xueqin the following year, bringing many gifts of appreciation, to express her gratitude. This incident prompted Cao Xueqin to compile the basics and tips of kite-making, which she was also good at, into pictures and songs, and bind them into a book. The publisher of this book, Huang Yongsong, enthusiastically explains that it was this particular incident that inspired him to decide to publish the book.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne thing worth mentioning throughout the series is the \u0026quot;Songs (Song Techniques).\u0026quot; All explanations and commentaries in the series are written as songs. This was Cao Xueqin's kindness and consideration, so that even those who cannot read, have poor eyesight, or are children can naturally learn the techniques by humming the songs. These songs, like Japanese tanka and waka, do not have a scale like do-re-mi, but are like poetry with a rhythm and rhyme unique to Chinese.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the original text \u0026quot;Nanbukoku Tobikou-ki\u0026quot; and the \u0026quot;Haigeisaishuukou\u0026quot; series:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe original text is a mysterious and phantom book, and until just a few years ago it was not even certain that the author was Cao Xueqin. There is no record of its official publication, and the only people who have seen the original are Takami Kaju, a Japanese teacher who taught at the National Academy of Arts and the National College of Arts, the predecessors of the current China Academy of Fine Arts, during the war, several of his students, and a Japanese man named Kaneda, who is said to be the owner of the original text. At Takami Kaju's request, he applied to Kaneda for permission to lend him the original text on making swallow kites and to copy it, and the part he copied in the limited time of one month is the original text of \u0026quot;Cao Xueqin Yanfengzheng Tufu.\u0026quot; Unfortunately, there is not even a slight record left of the other seven books in the series. Even more regrettably, Kaneda returned to Japan with the original text at the end of the war in 1945, and its whereabouts remain unknown, making it a phantom book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42182064636072,"sku":"","price":12000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/Hangsheng_b_01.jpg?v=1649478606"},{"product_id":"漢聲雑誌87-88-美哉漢字","title":"Miya Kanji","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003e Beautiful characters are not just characters,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHe is a person who transmits culture.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChinese character folk art.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis book is a collection of \u0026quot;art characters\u0026quot; that remain in the Chinese character culture, mainly in China, including Japan and Korea. This is a must-have book for people who are interested in design, calligraphy as a hobby, folk art lovers, and above all, the younger generation and children.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKanji characters are familiar to Japanese people. The term \u0026quot;artistic characters\u0026quot; may not ring a bell, but mojie (letter paintings), such as Henohenomoheji, were a pastime in the Edo period in which characters were combined to create pictures. Keisuke Serizawa (1895-1984), a dyeing and weaving artist and one of the central figures of the Mingei movement, also developed mojie in his own way, elevating them into graphical works.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening the lid of the outer box, which is black-based and seems a little plain for a Hansei publication, reveals a die-cut cloud pattern, an auspicious motif. When you take the book out of the box, you will see the character for \u0026quot;dragon\u0026quot; with a dragon's head on a yellow background, and the character for \u0026quot;phoenix\u0026quot; that pairs with the dragon on the back cover, both of which fill the entire screen. As you turn the pages, you will find a variety of Chinese character art, from optical illusions where what appears to be a single picture actually has Chinese characters hidden inside, to works that use Chinese characters to draw the outline of a motif like calligraphy, to floral characters in which the Chinese characters themselves are depicted as auspicious flowers. The book, which has a total of 230 pages, is heavy and difficult to carry around casually.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccording to Huang Yongsong, editor-in-chief of Hanseon, art characters are \u0026quot;peasant characters\u0026quot; and are symbols that any Chinese person can understand, from children who cannot go to school and cannot read to intellectuals. This book follows the story of \u0026quot;art characters derived from characters and pictures\u0026quot; centered around Professor Zhang Yidao, a leading researcher in art characters, and conveys the beauty of art characters based on a vast amount of literature and illustrations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDifferent ethnicities and regions reflect different tastes in artistic characters, and the unique classification in \u0026quot;Beautiful Characters\u0026quot; is valued as a valuable resource for the cultural history of Chinese characters. In modern China, swept up in the waves of efficiency and digitalization, where only controlled, inorganic characters are flying around, the personal beauty of artistic characters is a thing of the past. Artistic characters are being lost even within China, and the publication of this book has prompted local governments to begin efforts to train successors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI imagine that rather than dismissing moji art as something from the past in Japan, it would be interesting to have students with an interest in design, teachers well versed in calligraphy, and children who are in the process of learning the concept of characters try to draw modern moji art from a variety of perspectives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42182070436008,"sku":"","price":12000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/Hangsheng_c_01.jpg?v=1649478905"},{"product_id":"citas","title":"Citas","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42201030951080,"sku":"","price":550000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/Citas_2018_01b.jpg?v=1650004856"},{"product_id":"lista-de-roland-barthes","title":"Lista de Roland Barthes","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42201121259688,"sku":"","price":500000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/lista_de_roland_barthes_01c.jpg?v=1650008418"},{"product_id":"ballet","title":"Ballet","description":"","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42220482625704,"sku":"","price":800000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/ballet_brodovitch_01.jpg?v=1650512346"},{"product_id":"alea-encuentros-1972-pamplona","title":"ALEA ENCUENTROS 1972 PAMPLONA","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eIn 1972, in a town in northern Spain\u003cbr\u003e350 avant-garde artists\u003cbr\u003eWe have come together.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe bull-running festival \u0026quot;San Fermin Festival\u0026quot;\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt is also known as the setting for Hemingway's novel \u0026quot;The Sun Also Rises.\u0026quot;\u003c\/span\u003eThis is a catalogue of an art festival held in 1972 in Pamplona, a small city in northern Spain.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe event invited 350 avant-garde artists, including Boltanski, Luis Bunuel, John Cage, Auguste de Campos, Fernand Léger, Man Ray, Manzoni, Bruce Nauman, Wolf Vostel, Iannis Xenakis, Shusaku Arakawa, and On Kawara. A diverse range of works were collected, including conceptual art, video art, computer art, plastic art, electronic music, minimalism, action music, and experimental film.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe design was by José Luis Alexanco, a Spanish artist and member of the ALEA electroacoustic music institute that was founded in Pamplona.J.LDesigned by .Aleksanko, it visualizes the concepts, plans, designs, systems, etc. of artists' works. It is a unique binding with pages 2.5 times the size of the main body (including sleeve fold-outs) and half the size of the main body for each artist, group, and work.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe event, organized by the Area with the support of the Huarte family, a family of architects from Navarra who promote social and cultural activities in the fields of music and visual arts, took place over eight days from June 26th to July 3rd, 1972. This endeavor is highly regarded as a good example of how artists and local residents can live together and successfully transform a city.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEspecially since the 1970s, as the trend in art has shifted from tableaux to installations, happenings and performances, it seems that there have not been any radical changes in the catalogues that are supposed to be an essential part of exhibitions.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne well-known exception is the exhibition \u0026quot;Art of the Sixties\u0026quot; at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Germany. The catalogue for the Wallraf-Richartz Museum (first published in 1969) is known for its unique design, with separate prints of the artworks pasted in and bound together with metal bolts, and this book is one of the few examples of this.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlthough \u0026quot;Art of the Sixties\u0026quot; has been sold many times in small shops, this is the first time I've had the chance to get my hands on this book, perhaps due to differences in circulation.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe designer, José Luis Alexanco, was a member of the Computing Center (Centro de Cálculo de la Universidad de Madrid), which was established in 1966 by an agreement between the University of Madrid and IBM. I think it is also possible to see this as an artist's book by Alexanco.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn addition, the Reina Sofia National Museum held an exhibition titled \u0026quot;The Pamplona Encounter: 25 Years Later\u0026quot; in 1997, which demonstrates the importance of this cultural event in post-war Spain.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026quot;Encounters was organized with the express purpose of bringing art into public spaces, and may well have been the largest public art event ever to take place in Spain... In a country where anything artistic is interpreted as an ideological event, it offered an opportunity to get a bird's-eye view of one of the most avant-garde artistic movements of the 1960s.\u0026quot;\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/www.museoreinasofia.es\/en\/exhibitions\/pamplona-encounters-1972-end-party-experimental-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.museoreinasofia.es\/en\/exhibitions\/pamplona-encounters-1972-end-party-experimental-art\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eReina Sofia Museum\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42246487277736,"sku":"","price":154000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/panplona_03.jpg?v=1651282067"},{"product_id":"エド-エフェメラ-1","title":"Ed Ephemera I","description":"\u003ch1\u003e  \u003cstrong\u003eIn the Edo period\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePainted by a mysterious artist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGolden painting.\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/h1\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe first thing that caught my eye was a piece where the facial expression seemed to be obscured by white.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe moment I saw it, I thought \u0026quot;Isn't this contemporary art!?\u0026quot; That was the end of my luck. Just to be sure, I asked a young fellow collector of classical books nearby about the period. He said, \u0026quot;I can't tell you the details, but it must be Edo.\u0026quot; It's hard to say \u0026quot;It must be Edo\u0026quot; to an ephemera dealer that mainly deals in modern and contemporary times. It's cool.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a very rough definition, but ephemera can be 1) something that is beautiful or interesting, 2) something that has important meaning, or 3) something that is a combination of both.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a Western antiques store, for example, if it is a \u0026quot;nice greeting card,\u0026quot; reason ① is enough to qualify it for sale. However, once it is moved to a secondhand bookstore, the content and meaning of the card, such as \u0026quot;what year is it for?\u0026quot; become an issue, which is strange. Traditional secondhand bookstores place more importance on reason ② than reason ①.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a secondhand book store owner who deals in ephemera, I am even stricter in what I look for, and I want level 3, that is, \u0026quot;ephemera that is both beautiful and meaningful.\u0026quot; Or rather, I feel like that is what is required.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is really tough. It's not something that just rolls around. In addition, especially in recent years when most things give me a sense of déjà vu, I've been hit with a situation where I can't find anything to buy no matter how many times I go to the market. In a word, I'm stuck. At times like this, I just want to buy something that I think looks good and that I want, without any logic, just based on my intuition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 12 portraits of 12 people that I am showing you today are ones that I happened to come across in the market just when I had finally reached the final decision.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow that I had it for myself without knowing anything other than that \u0026quot;Edo exists,\u0026quot; all I had to do was confront the item, talk to it, and explore how much I could explain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, let's take a closer look.\u003cbr\u003eThe first thing that is clear is that all 12 pieces do not depict any flowers, landscapes, or inscriptions, and instead focus on depicting people. The simple composition and flat expression, as if the figures were cut out and placed on the background color, result in an impression that is closer to that of contemporary art and modern design.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen it comes to paintings that consist of figures alone, the first thing that comes to mind is a painting of immortal poets. We were able to confirm that there are masterpieces of paintings of immortal poets that do not have inscriptions, but we were unable to identify the 12 people. Therefore, we must avoid asserting that they are paintings of immortal poets. However, since there are no famous paintings of immortal poets or works that are similar in style to the artist, we can rather eliminate the suspicion that they are fakes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf course, the expressions are monotonous and somewhat demure, incomparable to the world-famous paintings of immortal poets, but delicate brushwork can be seen in the facial expressions of the figures and the lines of the hair. However, the hair of the two female figures is depicted with a stiff linework not seen in other images, and the impression given by the way the pigment is applied suggests that they may have been painted over. It is possible that different artists were responsible for the male and female figures, or that they were painted together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll 12 pieces are the same size, 21cm in height and 18cm in width. As they are all the same size and made of the same paper, I assumed they were all \u0026quot;byobu-hagashi\u0026quot; (folding screens), and so they were probably originally drawn on the same paper. Upon investigation, I found that the regulations for paper used in the Muromachi period stated that \u0026quot;large shikishi\u0026quot; was 19.4cm in height and 17cm in width, and \u0026quot;small shikishi\u0026quot; was 18.2cm in height and 16.1cm in width, so it seems likely that they were drawn on \u0026quot;small shikishi,\u0026quot; which is the closest size. Incidentally, the \u0026quot;small shikishi\u0026quot; currently in circulation is even closer in size, at 21.2cm in height and 18.2cm in width.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd that's all we can speculate about.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe search for the seal, which I had hoped would help me identify the artist, ended in vain. As usual, I am unable to say anything about the people depicted. I cannot narrow down the era, and these are all anonymous ephemera. Looking closely, each of the 12 pieces has its own merits and flaws. Nevertheless, they have been painstakingly repaired, and they have continued to exist in this world for much longer than any human life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps this fact itself speaks most eloquently about the appeal of these 12 pieces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMasago Sato's One Point Lesson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cem\u003eNowadays, shikishi is mainly used for messages and signatures, but its history is long, and the Encyclopedia of Japan states that \u0026quot;originally it was used to mean dyed paper in general, as opposed to white paper, and was already seen in the Shosoin documents from the Nara period, and is still preserved in the Shosoin.\u0026quot; The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book also contain examples of \u0026quot;white shikishi,\u0026quot; meaning colored paper. Meanwhile, from the mid-Heian period to the Kamakura period, a form called \u0026quot;shikishi-gata\u0026quot; came to be used for writing poetry related to landscape paintings on shoji screens and folding screens, and landscape paintings and portraits on temple murals and door paintings, and this repurposing of shikishi as writing paper is said to be the origin of the current style.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTeikoku Databank Archives\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/www.tdb-muse.jp\/webmagazine\/2019\/09\/post-1023.html\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tdb-muse.jp\/webmagazine\/2019\/09\/post-1023.html\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/www.tdb-muse.jp\/webmagazine\/2019\/09\/post-1023.html\"\u003eThe world connected by colored paper\u003c\/a\u003e\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003eExcerpt from\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e  \u003cem\u003eShikishi, used as writing paper for waka poetry, began to be widely used during the Muromachi period. Around that time, the dimensions of shikishi were gradually decided, and the format was also established. Large shikishi was about 19.4cm long and 17cm wide. Small shikishi was 18.2cm long and 16.1cm wide, and detailed rules were set for the format, such as how to distribute the poems and, if an ancient poem was to be written, to include the name of the author. The most commonly used shikishi was the Thirty-six Immortal Poets, in which each of the thirty-six poets' best poems was written on one sheet of paper, and the thirty-six sheets were pasted onto a folding screen, or the sheets were divided into two parts in a poetry-matching style and pasted onto a pair of folding screens. In the Edo period, Hon'ami Koetsu produced gorgeous shikishi at Suminokura Soan's workshop in Saga, and these have been passed down to the present day in the \u0026quot;Sagahon\u0026quot; format.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e Shikishi ya \u0026quot;\u003ca title=\"https:\/\/sikisiya.ocnk.net\/page\/7\" href=\"https:\/\/sikisiya.ocnk.net\/page\/7\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/sikisiya.ocnk.net\/page\/7\"\u003eThe History of Shikishi\u003c\/a\u003e\u0026quot;\u003c\/strong\u003eMore summary\u003c\/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eText by Masago Sato\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FRAGILE BOOKS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42252774408360,"sku":"","price":80000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/0050\/4232\/products\/edo_ephemera_01a.jpg?v=1651325431"}],"url":"https:\/\/en.fragile-books.com\/collections\/all-en\/type-book.oembed?page=8","provider":"FRAGILE BOOKS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}