Kansu｜Edo Hyōgu

Kansu is the earliest form of books following the invention of paper and also considered the origin of Japanese mounting art, hyōgu. The format of painted handscrolls established during China's Northern and Southern Dynasties period (439-589) was introduced to Japan during the Asuka period (592-710). Books and records from the Nara and Heian periods (701-784, 794-1185 respectively) were almost exclusively handscrolls. They are also known by other names such as makimono, ōkan, and kanjiku.

Kansu is characterized by its format, which allows viewing an extensive content at once by unfolding it with both hands. Consequently, it proved well-suited for Buddhist narrative paintings depicting sequential events, genealogical charts, and scriptures. The advantage of being rolled up for storage and preservation contributed to its widespread use.

To enable this repeated action of unfolding and rolling up, hyōgushi (mounting artisans) must achieve both durability and flexibility in the finished handscrolls.
Incidentally, we use the unit "kan" in Japanese to count multi-volume books as one kan, two kan, meaning volume 1, volume 2; this term "kan" originates from the Japanese word "kan" for kansu handscroll.

About Kansu Mounting

Sheets of paper are glued together horizontally, with a "hyōshitake (hyōmoku, cover bamboo)" attached at the front end and a "jikubō (axis rod)" at the rear end. The tip of the jikubō features an "inka (axis tip)." For storage, kansu is secured by winding it with the "makihimo (scroll cord)" attached to the cover bamboo rod. The areas surrounding the honshi artpiece are called the "gyokuchi," "inshu," and "okuzuke," and may be decorated with washi paper.

《Names of kansu parts》 — 《Names of *kansu* parts》

Traditional Techniques or Methods

For kakejiku and kansu, the following techniques or methods shall be used:
1. The "hada urauchi (skin backing)" shall be performed to back the artwork and textile, followed by "mashi urauchi (additional backing)."
2. "Kiritsugi (cut and connect)" shall be performed around the honshi (artpiece).
3. "Ageura (final backing)" shall be performed using a "uchibake" brush, followed by "urazuri (back rubbing)" after drying.

(Source: The notification of designation as Traditional Crafts by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

When introducing new Edo-hyōgu products or replacing existing ones, we sincerely hope you will choose works of fine materials crafted using traditional techniques. We would be honored if you would entrust the work to the hyōgu artisans (members) of the Associations of Tokyo Hyougu Kyouji Interior, who carry on the tradition of the Edo hyōgu.

For inquiry or ordering Edo-hyōgu works, please contact:
(Website of the Associations of
Tokyo Hyougu Kyouji Interior)