Yo Yamazaki

Yo was born in Tokyo, Japan. He received an MA from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. He liked books and drawing pictures during childhood, making some zines and newspapers with friends when he was in middle and high school, illustrated with his own drawings. While in college, Yo learned traditional Japanese arts and formative design which combined letters and organic shapes. He also learned printing and making books. He used Lithograph printing techniques and created handmade books, containing poems he had written and illustrated. After collage he learned handmade high-end bookbinding techniques while working in a publisher until 1991. From 1991to 1993 he was apprenticed to Toshio Ohie and learned French-style bookbinding.

He started his own bookbinding class in 1997. In 2006 his first book was published. In this book he introduced 13 beautiful books and wrote how to make them. He now makes bespoke bookbinding, covers of music scores and art works related to bookbinding,.

Yo also makes special tools for bookbinding. For example he made a hybrid tool of western sawing stand and Japanese binding board.

In 2015 Yo was a guest tutor of Pre-Biennial Workshop, Book Art Biennial 2015, MCBA, Minneapolis, U.S.A and Guest Artist, Hong Kong Book Arts Festival, Hong Kong, China. He has had work in several solo and group exhibitions in Japan and his books are held in many collections.