History of Hyoso

Soko-shi

In the 8th century, state controlled places for copying sutras were established. To create a copy
of a sutra, it took the combined efforts of many artisans. Among those, the “soko-shi” was the
predecessor of a mounter. “So” means cutting and joining the paper for a particular purpose,
and “ko” means dying the paper, and “shi” means an artisan with these techniques. The role of
the soko-shi was to dye the papers in preparation for mounting, attaching the scroll bar and cover,
and storage in a casket.

After the late 9th century, when the Ritsuryo system (collection of civil and criminal codes)
disintegrated, the soko-shi became an independent artisan called a “kyoji” specializing in mounting
sutras and calendars on scrolls as well as hanging scrolls. They also started printing books using
the printing techniques that were brought from the Sung dynasty in China.

At this time, the term soko-shi was only used for artisans who prepared the papers for sutras, not
for those who mounted the artworks on scrolls.