How to frame a Japanese print without damaging it

Framing a Japanese print is not complicated.
But it's also not just a matter of decoration.

I, Kogechan, will answer all your questions!

How do you frame a Japanese print?
What frame should you choose for an antique Japanese print?
Do you need a mat for framing a Japanese print?
Is UV-protective glass necessary for a Japanese print?
Why do Japanese prints yellow over time?
Where should you place a Japanese print at home to preserve it well?
Can you glue a Japanese print into a frame?

Let's go through it together, let's get started!

What are the sworn enemies of a Japanese print?

To properly frame a Japanese print, you must primarily avoid two things: sunlight... and humidity.

Sunlight (and UV rays)

Sunlight is the first and worst enemy of Japanese prints.
UV rays and direct light can severely fade colors, sometimes in just a few months of direct exposure to outdoor light and sun, but they also cause insolation of the paper: over time, it yellows, oxidizes, and loses its freshness. This is even more true for old Edo and Meiji prints, whose pigments and paper are much more photosensitive than more modern reissues.

👉 Even without direct sunlight, ambient UV rays are at work.

Humidity

Humidity is responsible for those famous foxing spots.
These are chemical reactions (and sometimes micro-molds) within the paper.

Once foxing has set in, it's almost impossible to remove.

👉 In short:
to protect a Japanese print, you should absolutely avoid direct sunlight or overly strong light, humid rooms, and walls overly exposed to humidity. The best option: a wall not exposed to direct light, ideally a north-facing wall or a dimly lit room, as well as a very dry, non-humid, and well-ventilated wall. With this, your print will live its best life!

Japanese print formats: oban, chūban...

Japanese prints have "classic" formats. The most common are:

• Ōban: approximately 25 × 38 cm
• Chūban: approximately 18 × 25 cm

These dimensions are indicative. Depending on the period, publisher, or preserved margins, they can vary by a few centimeters.
This is why standard frames are rarely perfectly suited for Japanese prints.

Custom framing or standard frame for a Japanese print?

Custom framing

Principle
The frame is designed for the print, not the other way around.

Advantages

• Perfectly adjusted size
• Adapted mat (or deliberate absence of mat)
• Acid-free materials
• Ideal protection for an antique print
  

Disadvantages

• THE PRICE! (can sometimes almost double the price of a print...)
• Sometimes the manufacturing time

👉 Recommended for antique, rare, or particularly cherished prints, or if you have the budget.

Standard frame (ready-made)

Principle
A simple and accessible solution.

Advantages

• Easy to find
• Wide choice of styles
• Sufficient for many prints

Disadvantages

• European sizes ≠ Japanese sizes
  
• Mat almost always needs to be recut
• Variable material quality

👉 A standard frame can work very well, provided it is properly adapted.

• For the Chūban format: at least a 20x30 cm frame
• For the Ōban format: at least a 30x40 cm frame

 

Mat or no mat for a Japanese print?

Without a mat

• Full view of the paper
• Margins visible with signatures, seals, and visible manufacturing marks
• Very direct rendering
• Greatly simplifies framing

But it's not the most protective solution in the long term, especially if the print is close to the glass, though the result can be superb. Be careful of humidity trapped between the glass and the print! Remember to open your frame occasionally to air out the print.

With a mat

• Protects the edges
  
• Can highlight the print
• Helps to adapt the size

⚠️ But Beware:
standard mats are almost never suitable for Japanese prints. They must be recut, otherwise they obscure important elements, or even the print itself... They can also generate unsightly framing marks over time if they are acidic!

Glass or plexiglass for framing a Japanese print?

Glass

• Very good transparency
• Scratch-resistant
• Available in UV-protective version (even if it doesn't allow exposing your print to direct light!)
• Faithful rendering

👉 This is the best choice when possible, especially for an antique print.

Plexiglass

• Lightweight
• Unbreakable

But:

• Scratches easily
• Can create static electricity
• Less suitable for antique paper if chemically treated
  
• Less often UV-protective

👉 Practical, but often less respectful in the long term.

Can a Japanese print be glued?

No. Never. You madman!

Let's be clear.

Gluing a Japanese print:

• prevents the paper from naturally expanding and contracting
• creates tension and deformation
• causes irreversible stains
• glue often alters colors
• makes any future restoration impossible

A print should be held in place, secured, positioned. Just held by its mat or by an acid-free glass, and if it moves after a while, no big deal, it's an opportunity to air it out and reposition it!
It should not be glued. Otherwise, you destroy it and make it lose a good part of its value!

Three ways to frame at KOGEDO

At KOGEDO, we don't all have the same approach.

• Tōma likes to frame Japanese prints without a mat, to see the paper as it is, no information is missed!
• Mikan prefers an off-white, well-fitted mat for balance and protection.
• And I, Kogechan, I am a luxury tanuki, I prefer custom framing, nothing beats it for a print by the master Kunisada!

Three sensibilities, one same respect:
that of the paper, of time, and of the journey each print has made.

And you, how do you frame your KOGEDO print?

Now that you know how to frame them, discover all our prints in our KOGEDO collection