Daifuko cho

The Daifuko cho was used by merchants or inn keepers as a ledger, or as a travel diary. The pages were folded half lenthwise and then half again, to give them a double thickness and more strength. They were then stacked inside each other forming three piles of about 15 pages each. Two holes are created, and the pages are sewn through the hole and around the side. The two side are then tied together and often unbraided to create a tassle as shown to the left. When used by accountants the books were often tied closed with hemp for security reasons.