Shozo Saito
Wrapped in a bagworm raincoat
A GeGeGe binding.

Although the content of this book is a discussion of book-loving writings by Kojima Usui, an alpinist who has become engrossed in books while hiking, it is known among antiquarian book enthusiasts as a representative example of a vintage binding.

Although it has been almost 90 years since the first edition of this book was published, it still shines with a mysterious light because the spine of the book is bound with "bagworm raincoats" that the publisher and book designer Shozo Saito himself collected in the mountains. What is astonishing is that he printed 980 copies of it. It is insane.

The texture isSoft and fluffyThe book is like a stuffed animal of a living creature.

Gete binding (or simply Gete book,bad example) refers to "unusual books that use real objects such as sake bags, mosquito nets, bamboo skins, and wrapping cloths for their binding, which are not used in bookmaking."It can be said to be synonymous with Shozo Saito's work.The origin of the word isIn front of Saito's book "Shochi no Sanpo" (A Walk for Calligraphers), bound in oiled paper from a Japanese umbrella,This comes from Kunio Yanagita's comment that "even the most amateurish hobby is at the top."

In the world of contemporary art books and book art, there is a knack for incorporating materials that are not normally used in books."Solitude" on the main paper ofFor medical useThe use of filter paper and wrapping Akiyama Shin's "The House That Cultivates" in a plastic tin roof (corrugated iron) are now considered admirable bookbinding ideas, butBorn in 1887, Shozo Saito may have appeared a little too early. However, just as most things are done by Kohei Sugiura or Bruno Munari, Shozo Saito's work deserves more recognition.



Text by Osamu Kushida