Kokoro Japanese Art

Contents:

Printmaking

Traditional ukiyoe production requires the cooperative efforts of four parties: the artist, who draws the original pictures and colour schemes; the engraver, who carves the images into a series of woodblocks; the printer, who applies colours to the woodblocks and uses them to print the images onto hand-made paper; and the publisher, who oversees the whole process and handles business operations.

The artist requires not just artistic talent but also a good understanding of the whole process to be able to design a successful print. The limitations of the process have a large role to play in the beauty of the final product and the skill required to achieve it.

The engraver carves the designs into a series of specially prepared cherry wood blocks, often one block per colour or layer. The block is carved away around the lines, leaving the areas to be printed in relief. A simple piece may require several blocks whereas a more advanced piece can require several dozen. A variety of specialised tools and skills are necessary and training to become a master carver takes decades.

The printer uses the blocks in sequence to print the images onto paper, which is again specially prepared for the purpose. He applies dye to the block, traditionally made from vegetable and mineral extracts, along with nori paste, aligns the paper onto the block and rubs it with a tool called a 'baren'. It is a technical rather than artistic skill, but one mistake could spell disaster.

The final print is a very textured, three-dimensional item. The image is embedded into the paper, the lines from the blocks are embossed into its surface, the grains of the wood are often visible. No two prints are identical, each has a character of its own.