Japanese paper and print sizes
Japanese prints were almost exclusively made on the famous 'hosho' paper from the Echizen district (the modern prefecture of Fukui), generally known as Echizen Hosho, a term still in use today
The words tate-e and yoko-e may appear after the paper size (e.g. ôban tate-e or chûban yoko-e). They refer to the alignment of the print; tate-e is a vertically aligned print, while yoko-e is a horizontal print.
Dimensions in cm | |||
(larger first) | |||
Kakemono-e |
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A vertical hanging scroll format used for paintings, pillar prints, and calligraphy, a joined sheet format, which was formed from one-and-a-third smaller standard sheets | 77 | 23 | |
Hashira-e |
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A narrow vertical format used for paintings, pillar prints, and calligraphy, a third of a large sheet (36 x 73 cm) | 73 | 12 | |
Double ôban or ôbôsho |
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The most common dimension for this paper is around 38 x 51 cm the ôbôsho (large hosho) | 51 | 38 | |
Nagaban |
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Half of a small hosho sheet if cut differently from aiban | 50 | 22 | |
Tanzaku |
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Narrow vertical format used for paintings, pillar prints, and calligraphy | 43 | 13 | |
Dai ôban |
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Also called large ôban | 42 | 30 | |
Ôban |
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When cut vertically down the middle, the ôbôsho (large hosho) supplied the material for two of the ôban, the most common size for ukiyo-e prints | 38 | 26 | |
Chû-tanzaku |
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Narrow format, similar to hosoban size, a quarter of large hosho sheet if cut differently from chûban | 38 | 13 | |
Aiban |
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Between ôban and chûban sizes, half of a small hosho sheet | 34 | 23 | |
Hosoban |
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A third of small hosho sheet | 33 | 15 | |
Chûban |
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Half of ôban size, a quarter of large hosho sheet | 26 | 19 | |
Shikishiban |
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Also called kukuban, a square format used for surimono, a sixth of a standard hosho sheet | 21 | 18 | |
Koban |
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Half of chûban, an eighth of large hosho sheet | 19 | 13 | |
Yatsugiri |
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Postcard size, half of koban size | 13 | 10 |
Japanese papermakers used different recipes and moulds and there is no exact standard for the size for a hosho sheet. Some sizes (chûban and koban) may be cut from different original large sheets (chûban may be half ôban or half aiban). In addition, prints are often trimmed to some extent. This makes it difficult to give accurate dimensions. The dimensions given above are approximate (to the nearest cm).
Handmade paper has chain and wire lines. These are the impressions of the mesh of the mould used to make the paper. Chain lines are the thicker, more widlely-spaced lines parallel to the short side of the paper. As sheets are cut and rotated, the direction of the chain lines changes (parallel to the long side of ôban).