Sutra master - Kyouji

In the 8th century Nara period, the term referred to a sutra copyist, and the work of binding sutras into scrolls (sōkō) was the job of a separate binder. In the late Heian period in the 12th century, there was an increase in the number of jobs binding sutras and scrolls, which became the main job of sutra binders, and they became independent as craftsmen. From the early Edo period in the 17th century, they began to bind booklets in addition to scrolls, and the work of binding was mixed in with that of a binder. Bookbinding was originally called hyohoishi. Meanwhile, specialized craftsmen called hyohoiya were differentiated for binding Japanese booklet books, and the bookbinding that sutra binders were involved in became the original scrolls and scrolls, and the work of a binder was added to that of a binder. They were a resident craftsman, and came to be called sutra binders. At the beginning of the 17th century, it was said in Kyoto that scrolls made by mounters were useless and that the mountings made by sutra writers were not good, so originally each had their own duties. However, when it comes to sutra writers, the work of mounters and karakami makers came to be the main focus. At first, the main tool was a small knife with a special blade, but as the number of booklets increased, tools such as short, thick, cylindrical tools that used the elasticity of bamboo to squeeze the pages, buckets or bowls for holding the paste, brushes, and water bags (sieves) used to sprinkle gold sand were also used. The technique is the same as for hanging scrolls, but the paste is thin. The scroll is backed and temporarily pasted, then cut with a paper cutting knife over a ruler, and a string is attached to the axis. The work of sutra scribes was centered in Kyoto, and the head of the sutra scribes was called the Daikyoji, who fulfilled orders from the Imperial Court and had the privilege of printing and publishing calendars.

[Motoo Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

8世紀の奈良期では写経師のことで、それを巻物にする装潢(そうこう)（書画の表装）の仕事は別の装潢師の仕事となっていた。12世紀の平安後期になって経巻や巻子本(かんすぼん)の製本の仕事が多くなってきて、それが経師のおもな仕事となり、職人として独立した。17世紀の江戸初期からは巻子本だけでなく冊子(さっし)本の製本もするようになり、表装の表具師の仕事も混じってきた。表具師はもとは裱褙(ひょうほい)師といった。一方に、和本の冊子本の製本には表紙屋という専門職人が分化してきて、経師が携わる製本は本来の巻子本・巻物となり、別に表具師の仕事が加わった。居職(いじょく)で、経師屋ともいうようになった。17世紀初めに、京都で表具師の巻物は使いものにならないし、また、経師の表具はよろしくないといわれたように、本来はそれぞれの職分はあったのである。しかし、経師屋といえば、経師の仕事よりも表具師や唐紙(からかみ)師の仕事がおもになってきた。初めは特別な刃の小刀がおもな道具であったが、冊子本が多くなると、竹の弾力を利用して帖(じょう)を圧搾する短く太い柱状の道具や糊(のり)を入れる桶(おけ)または鉢や刷毛(はけ)と金砂子(きんすなご)を振りかけるときに使う水嚢(すいのう)（篩(ふるい)）などがあった。また、技法は掛物と同じであるが、糊は薄い。裏打ち、仮張りをして定規をあて紙切り包丁で裁ち、軸に巻き紐(ひも)をつける。経師の仕事は京都が中心で、経師仲間の長を大経師(だいきょうじ)といって、禁裏の注文に応じていたし、暦の印刷・発行の特権をもっていた。

［遠藤元男］

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