CJR Lunchtime Lecture Series:
Japanese Rare Books (Wahon) and Bindings: A Guide to Characteristics and Handling
Dr. Takahiro Sasaki
Chair and Professor of the Keio Institute of Oriental Classics
Feb 5th, 2020
12:00- 1:00pm
Asian Centre Room 604
Japanese rare books (wahon) represent a rich diversity of bindings, sizes, and shapes, as well as a spectrum of cover styles, paper colors, and designs. This variety of forms is closely related to their content, thus we can better understand what is inside classical books by learning about their formats. This lecture will introduce the types of wahon binding and their characteristics while enabling us to practice handling through interaction with a range of old books.
Speaker Bio:
Takahiro Sasaki is Chair and Professor of the Keio Institute of Oriental Classics. He specializes in Japanese bibliography and medieval waka literature and has published a monograph on bibliographical approaches to premodern Japanese literature: Nihon koten shoshigakuron: The Bibliographical Study of Classical Japanese Texts (日本古典書誌学論) (Tokyo: Kasama Shoin, 2016). He is the lead educator of two courses offered as FutureLearn MOOCs: “Japanese Culture Through Rare Books” and “The Art of Washi Paper in Japanese Rare Books.” (https://www.futurelearn.com/
– Please note this workshop will be delivered in Japanese.
– No food or drinks allowed in this session.
– RVSP not required.
– All of the images by courtesy of Dr. Sasaki.
