Making Process

Through the Completion of Fudetabi
 

All tasks in the production of Fudetanbi, from drawing to making, are performed in Japan.

Here we introduce the commitment that goes into the production of one book.



 

Sketching to paint the atmosphere

Sketching

Sketches are drawn on-site by the artist, Sachiko HANASHIRO. We use this method so that the atmosphere of the site can be felt from the pictures and the text.

Ms. Hanashiro's style is to sketch at a speed similar to that of walking. Using scenes in which she walked the site and felt excitement results in pictures and text that are rich with a sense of realism.

 
 

The impression is the most important when coloring

Water color


Ms. Hanashiro uses only a compact palette of watercolors at the sites to express the color that come into her eyes.

 

Coloring


When adding color at home, she proceeds by recalling the impressions that she felt at the sites, rather than faithfully reproducing the actual colors. Sometimes she adds showiness using colors such as gold. Turning "impressions" into color yields a truly unique world view.


  
The cover design with the craftsmanship 
Cover Design

We used domestically-made washi paper for the ground color of the cover design. To express the texture of the washi and the fibers of the cut portion, we join them together manually ourselves to create the base of the cover design.

The chosen washi is made one sheet at a time by craftspersons, who say that the exact same paper cannot be made again. The differences in the expressions of the paper come out as the individuality of each series.


Washi paper is traditional Japanese paper, which is made from some plants. We chose one type of washi papers, named Kozo washi paper, for the design because the fibers of the cut portion looks delicate and beautiful.

The cover that represents Fudetabi presents Japanese craftsmanship.


 

Printing and proofreading. Again and again...

Printing

In order to bring the tones of the printed image closer to the colors of the original pictures, we produce numerous color samples and go through repeated trial and error. Through meetings with the print director, we focus on the tones and texture of the paper and examine numerous patterns as we aim for the final form.
 

Making carefully by craftspersons

Bookbiding

There are 11 processes that take place at a factory. Through the fusion of work using the latest machinery and traditional manual work, Fudetabi is made. The inside pages of most goshuincho (stamp books) are blank, but even with the same form, the inside of Fudetabi is printed. Accurate and quick making requires the sophisticated skills of craftspersons.

 

We will take a look at the gluing that is performed manually by craftspersons.

Bookbinding

Gluing is the task of pasting pages together. The work of gluing proceeds through two-up binding, in which two books are arranged vertically.

 

Bookbinding

Bookbinding

First, "feeding" is performed to create the gluing margin. Becoming able to quickly and evenly spread the glue margin is said to require five to six years. Glue is applied evenly to the gluing margin with a brush, and the pages are pasted together. If too much glue is applied, it will affect the inside printing surface; if too little, the pages will not stick together properly. The craftsperson's sensibilities are important in this task.

 

Bookbinding

After this, they are put into a press and cardboard sheets are sandwiched among them to prevent warping or distorting due to moisture. Even with a craftsperson skilled in gluing, only about 60 to 80 products can be glued in an hour. After the following cutting and cover attachment steps, Fudetabi is completed.

 

It is thanks to the abilities of professionals in each area that we are able to create Fudetabi.

 

 

We are also revealing the commitment and production secrets of artist Sachiko HANASHIRO.


Please see the following page. 

>>Read ”Secrets of the Artist”