Registration opens:
October 15th, 2026

Japanese Bookbinding

Learn about traditional Japanese bookbinding while creating handmade notebooks that make lovely keepsakes.

Artist Mami Takahashi will lead you through the process of Japanese bookbinding while sharing cultural and historical context. Participants will create two handmade books: a Yotsume Toji (four-hole stitched notebook) and a goshuinch?, the traditional Japanese temple and shrine stamp book used to collect calligraphic seals during visits to sacred sites. You will leave with two beautiful handmade books that can be used as journals, sketchbooks, travel keepsakes, or thoughtful gifts.

Mami Takahashi is a Japanese-born artist and educator based in Chicago. Trained in Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) at Joshibi University of Art and Design in Tokyo, she teaches Japanese cultural arts including Kintsugi, papermaking, bookbinding, and woodblock printing at museums, libraries, and cultural organizations throughout the Midwest.

All supplies provided. Registration required.

Any questions? Contact Adult Services at hppla@hplibrary.org

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