A memorial service was held on the 1st for Nobuyoshi Kikuchi, one of Japan's leading bookbinding designers who passed away in March this year after having worked on more than 15,000 book bindings. I was.
Nobuyoshi Kikuchi established a unique binding style, such as using letters in an impressive typeface for the title, and worked on more than 15,000 bindings before he died at the age of 78 in March this year.
Approximately 150 people, including writers and publishers, gathered at the Shinobukai held in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on the 1st and laid flowers to the portrait of the deceased.
Then, Kenzo Kitakata, a writer, said, "I think I have over 150 books bound by Mr. Kikuchi. I will never forget those memories."
Machi Tawara, a poet, commented on the book "Salad Kinenbi", which Kikuchi was in charge of binding, saying, "When I heard that the photo was used, I thought it would be used in the author's recent portrait, but I was very surprised to see it appearing on the cover. Thanks to Mr. Kikuchi's novel binding, the tanka book by an unknown newcomer has been read by many people."
One of the organizers of the event, Isao Mitobe, a bookbinding artist who learned binding from Mr. Kikuchi, said, "It was Mr. Kikuchi who laid the foundation for the current binding. I want to do my best," he said.
Kikuchi's work will be exhibited at the "Publishing Club Building" in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo until the 7th of this month.