noun
mounter; paperer; picture framer
A craftsman who mounts paper or fabric onto backing, especially for scrolls, screens, and framed works. The term is associated with traditional Japanese mounting techniques.
祖父は表具師として掛け軸の修復をしていた。
My grandfather worked as a mounter, restoring hanging scrolls.
この屏風は腕のいい表具師に仕立ててもらった。
This folding screen was crafted by a skilled mounter.
経師 originally referred to a sutra copyist, but later came to overlap with 表具師 in the context of scroll mounting and papering.
Compound of 表具 (hyōgu, 'mounting') + 師 (shi, 'master, specialist'). The exact historical derivation of 表具 is uncertain, but it refers to the traditional craft of backing and framing artworks.