【Discover the Feature Exhibition】 The Backing of the Documents

Feature Exhibition Room 2

August 30th (Tue.) ~ October 23rd (Sun.), 2022

Endorsement by Ashikaga Tadafuyu.

 With the use of applications and e-mail for daily communication, opportunities to write handwritten letters have decreased dramatically. Considering this dying art, this exhibition introduces the history around letter backings. When writing a letter with a letterhead, one usually writes only on the front side, not on the back. The same is true for the writing of ancient letters. When exhibiting ancient documents, attention is paid to the text on the front side. 

 However, if you look at the back of these letters, you will sometimes come across one with lines or patterns drawn around the edges, as well as some kind of writing on the back, edges, or both. Ancient documents written on scrolls are usually rolled up from the left end of the paper to the right end. When the scroll is rolled up, the back side of the edge of the document will be exposed. The right edge of the paper is cut into a thin strip from the bottom to the middle, and this is used as a band to tie the folded paper so that it does not unravel. This method of sealing scrolls is called “Kirifuu" or 切封 and the seal is called “Sumibiki" or 墨引き.

 When the “Fuushi" or 封紙, the sealing paper that wraps around a letter and is folded like an envelope today, is omitted, the name of the receiver or sender is written on the reverse side of the letter. The recipient may also add the date of receiving the letter on the reverse side as a reminder.

 Some of the letters have writing on the entire reverse side, making it difficult to tell which side is the front at first glance. The document shown in the photo is an application for secured land rights submitted to Ashikaga Tadafuyu (somewhere between 1327-1400), believed to be the bastard son of Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate. On the reverse side of the document, Naofuyu added his "Kao" or花押 (signature). This would stand as an endorsement for guaranteeing the applicant's rights, known as "Uragaki Ando” or裏書安堵.

 In this exhibition, we focus on the reverse side of such documents and letters. By considering the meaning of the contents on the reverse side, we will delve deeper into the understanding of the document as a whole looking at both sides and their interconnected significance.

Exhibition view