The Handmade Papers of Japan

"The Handmade Papers of Japan," one of the finest studies on Japanese paper, is replete with specimens, including old and rare papers from the eighth and ninth centuries. Volume 1, "The Handmade Papers of Japan," provides the history and description of Japanese papermaking and is accompanied by an envelope containing five different papermaking fibers. Volume 2, "Seki Collection," contains 187 specimens from the Nara period (710–93) to the present day. Volume 3, "Contemporary Collection," presents 139 full-page specimens and descriptions of modern papers from twenty districts of Japan. Volume 4, "Watermarks", includes twenty pictorial light-and-shade watermarked papers. Although 250 copies of this book were planned, as few as 150 actually may have been produced. "The Handmade Papers of Japan" is bound in a Japanese-style binding with hand-stenciled book covers and folding box.

Illustrated: the process of making shifu (spun kozo paper)