A beautiful book that captivates poets and book designers. Hiroshi Homura and Naoko Nakui share their secrets

Poetry books feel a bit like luxury items.

At the other end of the spectrum, in contrast to genres like paperbacks, where the format is consistent and the written content is the product, are poetry books and picture books. Poetry and picture books vary in size to begin with, and I think this is expressed at a material level, as each one contains a different world.

Unlike picture books, which require safety and durability, poetry is often read by adults, so you can use very thin paper, assuming that people won't tear it, for example. This also broadens your material options.

It was Shuzo Takiguchi who printed it in black ink on black paper, but even something that was almost unreadable worked. When considering the nature of poetry books, Hagiwara Sakutarō 's "Howling at the Moon" has a large presence. I think one of the reasons it is considered a historic collection of poems that marked the beginning of colloquial free verse is because of its binding. It is a poetry collection with a definitive binding, inspired by the work of Kyokichi Tanaka and Koshiro Onchi who were still art students at the time, and featuring their work.

Also, there are genres of poetry that are expressed through the arrangement of letters, but this is easier to do with the alphabet. Because of this background, Japanese poetry books tend to lean towards the conservative side, but both Naku and I have chosen books by Katué Kitasono, who took on this challenge. I'm envious of "Summer Letters."

The inside of the book is also cool with large letters. Contrary to the title, the inside pages of "Fragments of White" are printed in bright red.

He is highly regarded as a designer more than as a poet, and he also designed the cover for "Sharp Angle, Black Button."

Difficulty to read can also be a cool thing on the flip side. "Flag of the Gods: Aluminum Poetry Book" is one such example. This book is made out of aluminum. But perhaps it contains the ultimate secrets of the world, just like the ones Son Goku and his friends were searching for. Don't you think that's the kind of atmosphere you're getting?

It's interesting how the direction extends beyond the surface.

Takeo Takei is known as a children's illustrator, but he has also created a wide variety of books. Naku is a collector of published works, so he is familiar with them, but this is one of a series of 139 books, all of which were created using unique binding techniques.

All pages are lenticular (the image changes depending on the angle you look at it), and he wanted to use papyrus, so he started growing it from seeds. In any case, he is the person who creates content for the book, draws the pictures, and even does the binding.

My favorite period is "Cars in the Garden." Speaking of self-design by authors, Kunio Takamoto also designed his own early poetry collections. The colorful lettering design in "Green Research" probably has a source. It looks a bit like Tanaka Ikko.

"The Box and the Cloud" is also a self-covered work. Setsuko Tsuji is a friend of Katué Kitasono.

Naku-san, I thought you designed a lot of poetry books, but you read a lot of verse to begin with, and a lot of old stuff.

It all started when I came across the Sanrio poetry series in the elementary school library. I also brought along a mini-poem collection by Takashi Yanase from when Sanrio was still the Yamanashi Silk Center.

There are also two books Kazuko Shiraishi.

The book that Homura chose, "Love Doesn't Have Sundays," is part of the Four Ladies series, and the art direction is Aquirax Uno. The book design is by Ado Maeda, and the photographs are by Hajime Sawatari. "Four Windows," which comes in a pink box, is a special edition by bookbinder Toshio Oie.

The opening of the box has rounded corners and is bordered with leather, and the edges are cut at an angle to make them flush with the main body! It slides out smoothly and makes a nice click when you put it back in. In my opinion, it's the best box ever.

Mr. Naku, you are often in charge of the cover design for reprints, but isn't it difficult to be in charge of a new edition of a book that you know is a masterpiece and was created by a top designer?

I feel a mixture of honor and pressure. The same goes for Homura's "Syndicate"!

The binding has also been influenced by the passage of time over the past 31 years, and it has been finished in a way that truly reflects the best of the current era.

I believe that books should reflect the times at any given time, and I hope that the books I create will take on a different design in a few years' time, with the contents remaining the same and carried far and wide.

The strange thing is, even though I'm not the most fashionable person, I still want to dress my books in the best clothes, and I want to ask the best designers of the day.

I envy Homura-san, as the more he writes, the more he asks various people to design his books and he is able to create so many wonderful books.

There was a time when books by authors like Soseki and Kyoka were very beautiful and material. Since then, novels have become the domain of many, but poetry has not. In other words, there is an aspect to how books can be beautiful precisely because they are minor.

Books are objects that last a long time; for example, the Hyakuman Pagoda Dharani, said to be the oldest surviving printed material in the world, is still readable after all these years. Most of the books I've chosen this time were printed decades ago and have survived to this day, passing through the hands of many people. If you create a beautiful book, it will be treasured and may see the light of day again after some time has passed; as a designer, I feel that I want to embody this romantic idea.