This lined blank Tao-Art Journal glorifies ink bamboo painting, at its very finest, in the Ming Dynasty tradition. Featuring reproductions from Listening to the Bamboo, by the renowned Tao-Artist Wen Cheng-ming, this coptic bound journal is a true masterpiece in its own right. Great for journaling on the go, the hand-stitched binding allows every page to lay perfectly flat. The Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal also features a memento accordion pouch at the back to keep all of those loose odds and ends in one easy-to-access place, and an elastic end-leaf enclosure to mark your place or enclose the entire book. Ideal with our genuine bamboo pens. Also available in an unlined version perfect for free-form writing or a finely-milled version ideal for drawing.

Front Cover Close up: Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal.

Back Cover View: Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal.

Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal Details
Measures 7 x 9 x .6 inches. Covers are high quality Tao-Art reproductions of Listening to the Bamboo mounted on archival board with a durable silky smooth matte varnish finish and bound in a Coptic fashion. Inside softly lined (wide-rule) archival quality pH balanced (acid-free), lignin-free cream pages and memento accordion pouch all held together with an elastic closure.

About the Tao-Artist Wen Cheng-ming
Taoist Wen Cheng-ming, or Wen Zhengming, lived in Wuxian, heart of Wu culture in the Empire of the Great Ming, which is now part of Suzhou, China. Born in 1470 Wen Cheng-ming began painting very early in life, creating masterpieces as early as age 8, and continuing until shortly before his death in 1559. Known as a preeminent master of painting, calligraphy, and poetry; Wen Cheng-ming once studied under Shen Chou, but developed his unique style emerging as one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming. He was especially known for having great influence in the Tao-Art movement specifically in the painting of bamboo. In his mastery of Chinese landscape painting, and following the tradition and style of the Wu painter Shen Chou, he was particularly skillful in the painting of singular objects: a great tree, a weather-beaten rock, or most importantly bamboo; mostly in monochrome ink on paper and silk.

Representing his best work, Listening to the Bamboo, as beautifully reproduced in a silky matte finish on the journals front and back covers, is a quintessential Tao-Art masterpiece. In a single brushstroke Wen Cheng-ming is able to paint a bamboo leaf with such delicate, intricate, and subtle distinction as seen in Listening to the Bamboo; bringing focus to the harmonization of one’s personal being with the natural harmony and justice of nature. The best Tao-Art reveals inexhaustible nothingness; Nature is stabilized by order, and everything, humans included, exist within Nature. Through Tao-Art we see that the universe is singular and can't be divided. Trying to change Nature, especially through art, would ruin it–just as painting something else alongside the bamboo would spoil it–we must understand and be in harmony with Nature's essence.

About the Paper
Lovely, smooth, acid-free, lignin-free, extra-thick, cream colored pages fill the journal; this, along with a superior binding method, give our book a long term archival survivability of over 100 years! The inside paper is superiorly engineered and ideally suited for modern writing instruments such as: ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, gel pens, marker pens, most technical pens, and pencils; writing with these instruments is exceptionally smooth. Bleed through is not a problem as the paper is 5.5 mil thick. Due to the archival engineering of the paper, some Sumi inks may not form an even spread on the page. While some fountain pens write just fine on this paper, we recommend modern pen or pencil, as non-modern era inks work best on paper manufactured just for calligraphy.

Detailed View: Using the Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal's Memento Accordion Pouch.

Memento Accordion Pouch
A large memento accordion pouch in the back of the journal is ideal for storing odds and ends, money, your passport, plane tickets, a small book, photos, and whatever else you want to tuck away–very handy! While this 8.5 x 6 inch cloth gusseted memento accordion pouch expands to a full 1.5 inches at its opening, and is technically large enough to fit a whole turkey sandwich, we don't recommend using your journal as a replacement for a lunch box, as your lunch would get smashed to the size of a pancake! Editor's Note: I can easily fit my quarter inch thick pocket museum guide (which is too big to fit in my pocket!) into the memento accordion pouch–as the Coptic Binding has the ability to withstand the added .25 inch thickness without breaking the book–no modern binding would do that!

About the

Detailed Spine View: Coptic Binding Benefits.

Close up View (above): Listening to the Bamboo Coptic Binding Hand-stitching Detail.

Benefit of Coptic Binding: Lays Perfectly Flat for Ease of Writing.

Bamboo Handstitched Tao Journal's Coptic Binding
Coptic bound journals are ideal for writing, either right or left handed, on either side of the page. Coptic Binding was introduced in the far east more than 2000 years ago and is a MORE DURABLE binding method than standard adhesive or modern sewn bindings. If you removed the cover on a modern bound book, it would be very evident why many binding methods fail–they are not bound by a means that will withstand extended use. The fact that coptic binding doesn't need to rely on any additional, and mostly cosmetic, coverings over the spine is apparent the moment you open the journal. The extremely thick thread used in coptic binding, is six times the size of threads commonly used in modern binding techniques, and provides great advantages when no paper, cloth, or other encumbrance is needed over the bound edge. Coptic bound journals serve the needs of writers and readers better; lending to comfortable handing and the long term archival qualities of the book.

Coptic Stitching is a unique looking non-adhesive hand-stitched binding method introduced during the 4th century A.D. in ancient Egypt by the Copts and followers of the Christian Coptic Church. Various forms of coptic stitching techniques have remained popular for over 1500 years and are still in use today. The spine of the book is usually left exposed when a coptic stitching technique is used. The type of knot that is used in the journals and blank books JournalsandBooks.com sells is called a chain stitch, and it is appreciated by bookmakers and booklovers alike for its intricate beauty. Chain stitching allows the book to open a full 360 degrees without damage to the book! While machines can be used to sew a coptic stitch, hand-stitching is still preferred; as such, this journal is completely hand-stitched. The combination of an open-backed binding method and the braided look of a coptic stitch yields an attractive and interesting journal.

Coptic stitching uses separate threads in pairs or groups. Waxed linen thread is used for ease of handling. Pages are grouped together into signatures, which is common to most methods of book making. The greatest advantage to coptic stitching is the ability of the book to open and lay completely flat with no stress on the spine and no damage to the book. Sketchbooks and journals are ideally bound using coptic stitching as artists and writers especially enjoy unfettered access to the entire page without bending at the spine. Journal pages and signatures hold tight, and do not shift around loosely without the use of glue or posts, yielding a durable archival quality book.

Listening to the Bamboo by Wen Cheng-ming; Tao-Art courtesy The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America