Canvas backed the Japanese copy of the 1945 Instrument of Surrender.
Two versions of the surrender instrument were signed during the ceremony aboard USS Missouri. The Allied copy was leather-bound, while the copy intended for Japan was backed with canvas. Both recorded Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms.
The physical design reflected the ceremony’s formal presentation. Each signatory used a document placed on a green-felt-covered table, and the completed instruments became important historical artifacts.
Canvas is sometimes confused with parchment because the Allied drafting staff had difficulty finding suitable material in war-torn Manila and reportedly obtained rare parchment for preparing the document. That detail concerns the document’s preparation, not the backing of the Japanese copy. The Japanese version itself was canvas-backed.