About the Cloth Book Cover from Tabisurumishinten

Our cloth book cover (or book jacket) is handmade by the shop owner Nanase and her family. She has been making cloth book covers with her own illustrations since 2003.

The outer fabric is a linen-cotton blend, made in Japan. This material is soft, durable, and stain-resistant. The lining is cotton with various designs and colors. Each book cover is reversible, so you can switch between the outer fabric and the lining.

How to Wash the Cloth Book Cover

Please never put it in the washing machine. The linen-cotton fabric shrinks easily.
Hand-wash it gently using a neutral detergent without optical brighteners or bleach. Rinse it by soaking it in water or by pressing it gently.
To remove excess water, place the cover between towels and press gently. Dry it by hanging it on a line.
Lastly, please iron it in the vertical direction, as the fabric tends to shrink vertically.
The cover will shrink slightly when washed, but following these instructions will help minimize shrinking.

Why Japanese People Often Use Book Covers

After the westernization of the 1860s, the culture of cloth book covers was introduced to Japan from the United States and Europe.
In the early 1900s, when suburban commuter trains began operating in Japan’s large cities, book covers became more widely made and used.
By the 1970s, it had become common for booksellers throughout Japan to wrap purchased books in paper book covers (or book jackets). Until smartphones and Amazon became widespread, many people on trains held books wrapped in these paper covers.

People used book covers not only to protect their books from dirt, but also to keep their reading private in public spaces.
Today, many artisans create cloth and leather book covers, and people enjoy using them to enrich their personal reading time.