hyoushi 表紙
KEY WORD : art history / paintings
 
The covers of a bound book *sasshibon 冊子本, or an accordion book *orihon 折本, or the outer-end section of a handscroll *kansubon 巻子本, used to protect and decorate. Hyoushi on Japanese books are made of plain, often colored, or patterned (woodblock-printed, stencil-dyed, etc.) paper, or fabric, often of silk, cotton or damask. In general, hyoushi have a title strip *daisen 題簽 on the front. The backside *mikaeshi 見返 is often embellished with various forms of gold and silver ornamentation. In the case of a handscroll, the cover is usually made of fabric and its outer edge is folded to make a flap into which a thin strip of bamboo or metal *hassou 発装 can be inserted. A fabric strand or cord is attached to the center of the hassou to secure the scroll when rolled.
The decoration of handscroll hyoushi became highly developed during the Heian period, particularly in Buddhist scriptures soushokukyou 装飾経. Hyoushi on albums of painting *gajou 画帖, especially of traditional stories, were often also exquisitely decorated after the Muromachi period. During the Edo period, illustrated popular stories *kusazoushi 草双紙 were classified according to the color of the cover, including *akahon 赤本 (red-books), *kurohon 黒本 (black-books), *aohon 青本 (blue-books) and *kibyoushi 黄表紙 (yellow-books).
 
 

 
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