Bindings and Binders that Adorned Modern Literature 2
Taisho and Showa Period Bindings and Binders
In the Taisho period (1912-1926), Komura Settai and Takehisa Yumeji breathed new life into the field of binding with their unique aesthetic sensibilities. Settai made his debut as a binding artist with Izumi Kyoka's novel “Nihonbashi,” and was entrusted with the binding of most of Kyoka's books. Yumeji, who was also popular as a painter, captured the hearts of many people with his unique, melancholy images of women and the beauty of his modern designs. Onchi Koshiro, who got his start as a binding artist with Yumeji's illustrated kouta collection “Dontaku,” was in charge of the binding for Hagiwara Sakutaro 's monumental poetry collection “Tsuki ni Hoeru (To howl at the moon)” and continued to work on many more bindings until the Showa period.
After World War I, avant-garde art movements such as Futurism, Expressionism, Cubism, Constructivism, and Dada were introduced from Europe, and these movements had a great impact on the world of binding from the late Taisho period to the early Showa period. The main leaders of these movements were Murayama Tomoyoshi, Yanase Masamu, and Okada Tatsuo, and this trend was eventually linked to the proletarian literary movement, and many of these types of bindings can be seen on left-wing literary and artistic books.
In addition, from the Taisho period (1912-1926) onward, authors often made their own bindings, rather than entrusting the work to a publisher or an artist commissioned by the publisher. Starting with Natsume Soseki, who designed the box, cover, endpapers, and door of “Kokoro” in a unified manner, many authors, including Kitahara Hakushu, Sato Haruo, Kinoshita Mokutaro, Muroo Saisei, and Nagai Kafu, have created bindings for their own works.
Binding in the Taisho Period
Komura Settai
泉鏡花『日本橋』見返し
Artworks for The Selected Works of Kyoka Izumi
Artworks for The Selected Works of Kyoka Izumi
Takehisa Yumeji
巌谷小波『お伽パラダイス』
Kurokami-shu (Black Hair)
『凧』 自装
『三味線草』 自装
吉井勇『祇園歌集』
長田幹彦『祇園夜話』
相馬御風『銀の鈴』
『露台薄暮』箱の裏面 自装
『世界童話集』中
Onchi Koshiro
Zundac, illustrated anthology of poetry (including first edition), 2 books / TAKEHISA, Yumeji (1884 - 1934)
Howling at the Moon
岩田準一 編『夢二抒情画選集』上巻
北原白秋『フレツプ・トリツプ』
トロツキー作・青野季吉訳『自己暴露 』
恩地孝四郎編『飛行官能』
Other Bindings in the Taisho Period
Futurism, Expressionism, Constructivism, Dada
萩原恭次郎『死刑宣告』 岡田龍夫装幀
萩原恭次郎『死刑宣告』箱 岡田龍夫装幀
高橋新吉『ダダイスト新吉の詩』 田口省吾装幀
The Prostitute
Kanikosen (Crab Cannery Ship)
小林多喜二『蟹工船』改訂版 朝野方夫装幀
/ MURAYAMA, Tomoyoshi (1901 - 1977)
/ MURAYAMA, Tomoyoshi (1901 - 1977)
葉山嘉樹『汚い殉教者』 柳瀬正夢装幀案
Oana Ryuichi ando Sugiura Hisui
Oana Ryuichi (1894-1966) is a Western painter. Born in Nagano Prefecture. He exhibited at the Nika-kai and later moved to the Shunyokai. He was a close friend of Akutagawa Ryunosuke, and most of the bindings of Akutagawa's books were created by Oana. Sugiura Hisui (1876-1965) was a Japanese painter and designer. Born in Ehime Prefecture. His real name is Tsutomu. Graduated from Tokyo Fine Arts School. He played a leading role in the commercial design world, including the formation of the poster research group Shichininsha. He was commissioned by Mitsukoshi Drapery (now Mitsukoshi) and worked there for a long time as chief designer, designing the cover of the PR magazine “Mitsukoshi Times” and others. He has also designed many book bindings, including the “Complete Modern Japanese Literature,” which is known as the first book published in Japanese in the form of yen.
『みつこしタイムス 』明治43年5号 杉浦非水画
柳川春葉『生さぬなか』中 杉浦非水装幀
Collection of Contemporary Japanese Literature, vol.11: Masaoka Shiki (Kaizosha) / SUGIURA, Hisui (1876 - 1965)
The Arabian Nights' Entertainments (translated by Nakamura Naka, World's Classics in English Publication Office) / SUGIURA, Hisui (1876 - 1965)
芥川龍之介『侏儒の言葉』裏表紙 小穴隆一装幀
芥川龍之介『三つの宝』扉 小穴隆一装幀
芥川龍之介『地獄変』小穴隆一装幀
室生犀星『童女菩薩』 小穴隆一装幀
Binding by the author
装幀を出版社や出版社が依頼した画家などに任せるのではなく、作者が自作の装幀に手を染めることも大正期以降多くなる。『こゝろ』で箱、表紙、見返し、扉から奥付の検印まで統一的にデザインした夏目漱石を筆頭に、北原白秋、佐藤春夫、木下杢太郎、室生犀星、永井荷風など、多くの作家が自作の装幀を手がけている。
夏目漱石『こゝろ』奥付
Omoide (Memories)
北原白秋『真珠紗』(『印度更紗』第壱輯)
芥川龍之介『羅生門』
芥川龍之介『傀儡師』
佐藤春夫『殉情詩集』
A bunch of grapes
萩原朔太郎『青猫』
萩原朔太郎『萩原朔太郎詩集』
木下杢太郎『木下杢太郎詩集』
萩原朔太郎『氷島』扉
永井荷風『濹東綺譚 』
Other Bindings in the Taisho and Showa Periods
References
- 大貫伸樹 著,平凡社
- 西野嘉章 著,平凡社
- 臼田捷治 著,Book & Design
- 平凡社
- 日本近代文学館 編,毎日新聞社
- 谷沢永一, 渡辺一考 編,立風書房
- 野口武久 著,前橋市観光協会
- 林達夫 [ほか]編著,日本エディタースクール出版部
- 斎藤昌三 著,書物展望社
- 本美鉄三 著,白帝書房
- 小泉苳三 編著,鳳出版
- 小泉苳三 編,立命館出版部
- 万字屋書店
- 平野清介 編著,明治大正昭和新聞研究会















