The bibliophile's glossary
Japan paper
Traditional Japanese paper made from long vegetable fibres, notably kōzo, gampi or mitsumata. Supple, durable and often silky in appearance, it was especially sought after in the West by publishers, who readily chose it from the 19th century onwards for deluxe editions, alongside Holland or China paper (other types of paper exist, but remain less common). European papers were also produced to imitate its appearance at a lower cost, such as the famous 'Japon impérial'.
Japanese paper, vat-made since the 8th century from the bark of kōzo, gampi and mitsumata, was known to European engravers before being adopted by publishers. The opening of Japan and the japonisme of the 1870s made it the paper of choice for deluxe printings: publishers of the late 19th century — Lemerre, Conquet, Rouveyre, and later the houses of the 20th century — placed Japan paper at the head of the limitation statement, ahead of China and Holland paper, for a handful of numbered copies. A distinction is drawn between 'old' Japan, silky and faintly ivory-toned, 'Imperial' Japan, thick, cream and satiny, of Japanese manufacture, and European imitations; 'mould-made' Japan is produced sheet by sheet, while 'pearled' Japan owes its sheen to gampi.
For the bookseller, a copy on Japan paper is almost always the summit of an edition: the catalogue entry gives its rank in the limitation statement ('one of 10 on Imperial Japan, ours no. 3'), notes the suites of plates or additional states that often accompany it, and describes the condition of the paper, whose surface marks easily. A signed binding and an inscription are readily added: a deluxe Japan copy with an inscription is a collector's piece.
Japan paper is sometimes confused with vellum paper or China paper, and any cream, silky paper is occasionally mistaken for Japan. Publishers also reused the name for machine-made papers, and certain 'Imperial Japan' papers dating from after 1900 were manufactured in Europe. A limitation statement should therefore be read alongside the bibliography: the number of copies on Japan paper is fixed there, and a copy 'on Japan' that is unnumbered in an edition which numbers them deserves to be checked.
In the catalogue
Related terms
China paperHolland paperLaid paperWove paperLimited deluxe editionLarge paperThe papers of limited deluxe editions
Frequently asked questions
What is a copy “on Japon” paper?
This is a copy from the deluxe edition printed on Japan paper, the most prized of the large-paper issues: it ranks first in the justification of the print run, ahead of China and Holland paper, and generally comprises only a handful of copies.
What is Imperial Japan paper?
A paper of Japanese manufacture, thick, cream-coloured and satiny, imported by French publishers from the 1880s onwards for limited deluxe editions; its name was also given to European papers that imitated it.
What is "Japon à la forme" (mould-made Japan paper)?
A Japon paper made sheet by sheet, by hand, on a mould, as opposed to machine-made Japons; this is specified in the justification of the edition because it is finer and rarer.