Japanese sewing
See
illustration A method of sewing leaves
or sections which, despite the name, was actually
developed in China. The method involves gathering
and jogging the leaves, and then drilling a hole
through the entire thickness of the pile in the
center anywhere from /4 to 3/4 inch from the edge
of the spine, or more depending on the size of the
book, the nature of the paper, and the extent of
the binding margin. Additional holes are then
drilled on either side of the center hole at
uniform distances, the total number, including the
one in the center, being an odd number. The sewing
proceeds from the center hole to the head of the
book, over the head and then down over the spine
past the center hole to the tail and then back to
the center. When the sewing is completed, the ends
are tied in a flat knot on the out side. An
alternative method is to begin at either end, in
which case the number of holes may be even or odd.
Thread, cord, string, yarn, tape, or rope fibers
can be used. Japanese sewing may be considered as
a form of SIDE
SEWING (or stabbing) and, although it does not
allow much flexibility, especially with small
books, it is an extremely strong method of sewing,
possibly one of the strongest ever devised. (183 )