Japanese stab binding: the hand-bound notebooks of 23janvier

Paper

Japanese binding describes how a notebook is sewn, not where it is made. These are bound by hand in south-west France by 23janvier, with the thread left in plain view, because it is as much the decoration as the structure.

What is Japanese stab binding?

In Japan it is called wa-toji. Instead of folding the pages into sections and sewing through each fold, the binder punches holes through the whole block near one edge and sews through them, wrapping the thread around that edge as it goes. The plainest pattern, yotsume-toji, uses four holes. More decorative versions add holes and angles, until the thread itself becomes the ornament.

So a Japanese-bound notebook can be made anywhere. The phrase describes the binding, not the country, and these are made in France.

How 23janvier make them

23janvier develop each piece from botanical study through to printing and binding, with close attention to natural papers and plant form. The cover is thick cotton paper, pigment-printed and folded at the edges, so it holds its shape in a bag. The book is then bound by hand. On the Black Cypress notebook, black thread fans out from two points along the top edge, and the stitching sits a little differently on every copy.

Inside are 44 folded pages of fine-grain cream paper at 90gsm, plain, which take ink and pencil equally well, so writing and drawing can share a page.

The two covers

Black Cypress. Small dark cypress sprigs repeat across a warm white cover in loose rows, with a rough, brush-like quality that softens the regularity of the pattern. It is the quieter of the two, and it suits a desk as well as a bag.

Botanical Garden. Ferns, cornflowers, buttercups and one magenta hydrangea floret laid across the cover in rows, like specimens on a herbarium sheet. The inside of the cover is printed too, so the plants carry on where only the owner will see them. It is sold out for now.

Choosing a notebook for everyday use

Start with where it will be used. An A5 hand-bound notebook gives room for notes, lists and drawings at a desk, and makes a journal that will look better for being carried. For a pocket, the RO-BIKI waxed notebooks from Osaka are passport size, thread bound and £7. For lists and sums, mula's White Cat A5 notebook has 64 pages of 5 mm grid, at £8.

A good pairing is one of each: the hand-bound notebook for the desk, a RO-BIKI for the coat pocket, £31 the two, and both go free in the UK.

Care

Keep it dry and out of direct sunlight, and handle the cotton paper cover with clean, dry hands. The exposed binding is part of the construction, so store the notebook flat and avoid pulling at the stitching.

Questions

What is Japanese stab binding?

A way of binding a book by sewing through holes punched along one edge of the whole block, with the thread wrapped around that edge. In Japan it is called wa-toji.

Is a Japanese-bound notebook made in Japan?

Not necessarily. The term describes the binding. These notebooks are bound by hand in south-west France.

How many pages are there?

44 folded pages of fine-grain cream paper, 90gsm.

Can I use ink in it?

Yes. The paper takes ink and pencil equally well. With very wet inks, try a page at the back first.

Is it handmade?

Yes. Each notebook is bound by hand by 23janvier, which is why the stitching differs slightly from one copy to the next.

See all the notebooks

Written by Mohssen, who chooses, photographs and packs everything at Ourooh in Edinburgh.

Ourooh is an Edinburgh shop for things from independent makers and small studios, mostly in Japan and Europe, for giving and keeping.