Short answer: tape glue, corners only
Almost every mounting failure comes back to one thing: water in the glue makes the paper cockle. So the answer is short too.
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Use a dry tape glue, and only at the four corners. It will lie flat. Covering the whole back is not necessary and actively works worse.
| Adhesive | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tape glue (roller) | Best | No water, and some types reposition |
| Glue stick | Workable | Low moisture. Applied thinly it rarely cockles |
| Double-sided tape | Workable | No water at all, but permanent |
| Liquid glue | Avoid | Too much water. Washi stretches and always cockles |
| Wheat starch paste | Ideal in principle | Best for preservation, but needs weighting and drying time |
The sequence
- Choose the page. It need not follow the order of your visits; any free page will do
- Lay the sheet down and look. Check the margins before any glue touches it
- Apply tape glue at the four corners, on the back, about 5 mm in from each corner
- Fix the top two corners first. That sets the position so the bottom cannot drift
- Work the air out from the centre with the pad of a finger. Press, do not rub
- Leave it open overnight while the adhesive settles
When the sheet does not match the page
Sheets are not always cut to your book. Three cases.
Sheet smaller than the page
Mount it centred and leave it at that. The margin around it is fine. There is no need to add paper or draw a border.
Sheet slightly larger
A few millimetres of overhang: mount it and fold the excess gently under. Trimming is the last resort, and never through the brushwork or the seal.
Double-page sheets
A sheet roughly twice as wide, around 16 x 22 cm, spans two pages. That puts paper across the fold, and every opening and closing works that line.
Double-page sheets are safer kept in a file than mounted. See filing without glue.
What mounting changes
The book is different afterwards. Knowing how lets you plan for it.
- It thickens. A dozen sheets add close to a centimetre, and covers and cases stop fitting. The fit check shows what still works
- It stops closing flat. Mounted pages lift, so stored upright the spine crushes. Lay it down
- It becomes damp-sensitive. Softened adhesive lets edges lift. Storage is covered in storing your goshuin book
- The reverse is lost. Glue and an extra thickness make a ridge the brush catches on
If those four are unwelcome, not mounting is the better fit.
If you want to move it
Put it in the wrong place and do not force it off. Washi fibres interlock, and lifting a sheet takes the surface of the page with it.
- Repositionable tape glue gives you a short window right after mounting
- Once time has passed, or with ordinary glue, leaving it is the better outcome
- If you must, and only the corners are stuck, lift slowly from one corner. Glued across the middle, let it be
This is another reason for corners only. The less adhesive, the more recoverable the mistake.
Read next
Practice around goshuin and the books that hold them differs between shrines, temples and Buddhist schools. What follows is general orientation, not a rule. Notices posted on site and the guidance of the office there always take precedence. Nichiren-shu temples inscribe a goshuimon, and some will not write it into a book that already holds entries from elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
What should I use to mount a kakioki sheet?
A dry tape glue, applied only at the four corners. Liquid glue carries too much water: washi stretches and always cockles. Glue sticks and double-sided tape both work, though double-sided tape is permanent.
Do I glue the whole back of the sheet?
Four corners is enough, and covering the whole back works worse. The water stretches the paper into waves, and a large glued area makes any later correction impossible.
What if the sheet is bigger than my page?
A few millimetres of overhang can simply be folded gently under. Trimming is the last resort and never through the brushwork or the seal. Double-page sheets are safer kept in a file than mounted.
I mounted it in the wrong place. Can I lift it?
Do not force it. Washi fibres interlock and lifting takes the page surface with the sheet. With corners-only mounting and repositionable tape glue you have a brief window straight after mounting; otherwise leaving it is better for the book.
How does mounting change the book?
It gains close to a centimetre of thickness, so covers and cases stop fitting, and it no longer closes flat. Damp softens the adhesive and edges lift, and the reverse of a mounted page becomes unusable because of the ridge.
