Echizen Washi by Iwano Ichibei
Posted in Prints
by Dave Bull at 10:10 AM, May 6, 2006
This is not 'just' a piece of paper; it is a trimmed section from one of the large sheets of 'Echizen Hosho' made for printmakers by Mr. Iwano Ichibei, of Fukui prefecture. There is a short introduction to Mr. Iwano on the 'people' page of this Mokuhankan website. He is the 9th generation of his family making this special deluxe paper, and as his son shows every intention of continuing with papermaking, it seems that the family tradition is in good hands, at least for another generation.
Entire books can - and have - been written about this paper, but there is simply room here to mention that it is the dense interlocking mat of very fine mulberry fibres (kozo) that makes it special for us printmakers. Click on the three closeup images below (especially the third one) to see what I mean. The red pigment of his family seal is sitting up on top of the paper in that image, but when we printmakers use our barens on it, the pigments are driven down deeply into that fibre mat, but without crushing it, thus leaving a wonderfully textured surface to the finished print.
Iwano-san provides us with these examples of his craft, considering them not 'samples', but actual 'works'. He made them, and he sealed them. This is his art. A few years ago, he was made a 'Living National Treasure', under circumstances that were somewhat unusual. His father before him had that designation, and as the culture authorities usually like to 'spread things around the country', it was far from a foregone conclusion that he would be honored that way. But his reputation is such that he could not be passed over.
Without paper like this, none of the other prints in this catalogue could have come into existence. We hope you enjoy this 'small' treasure as much as we do!
The catalogue entry for this paper.
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Plum Blossoms in Moonlight
Posted in Prints
by Dave Bull at 10:06 AM, May 6, 2006
This is a slightly 'clipped' reproduction of one of the pages from the book Favourite Flowers of Japan, published in Tokyo in 1901. It was illustrated by kuchi-e artist Mishima Shoso, and had text written by the wife of the owner of a plant nursery in Yokohama, who apparently sponsored its production to help promote his business. Each page of the book went through two completely separate printing processes: the text was done first on a modern letterpress, and the printed sheets (high quality Japanese hosho paper) were then sent to traditional printers to add the illustrations.
I selected it for the Mokuhankan catalogue as an experiment. The original book itself is printed in a style so delicate as to be scarcely believeable - the tints are so faint that it is sometimes difficult to tell if there is actually any pigment on the page or not. This is not because my copy has faded; it is just the way that top-level Meiji-era printing could be done.
I wanted to try this, so after the blocks were done, as I sat at my workbench preparing the first proof copies of this design, I put just the barest dab of pigment onto each brush ... for the pale sky and the tint on the face of the moon. I dried and inspected a couple of sheets ... nope, nothing visible at all. So I tried a few more copies, using slightly more pigment ... nope, not yet. On my third attempt, my test printing seemed to be close to the original - you could see colour if you held the sheet 'just so'. I ran off a few more copies.
Next step was scanning for this catalogue. I have such a good scanner though - it wants to 'help' me, tries to pick up every trace of colour that it sees, and gave me this image, with a solid blue sky and a 'bright' yellow moon! Now actually, the colours in the print are nowhere near this 'deep', but if I try and reduce them in Photoshop, things just get all mixed up and the whole thing looks worse, so I have left it as an untouched scan.
The print - seen when held in the hand in natural light near a window - looks wonderfully delicate. I realize that this isn't to everybody's taste. Most woodblock prints made here in Japan these days have quite saturated colour; printers tell me that 'that's what the customers want'. I'm not so sure that's true and I suspect that this is just the 'modern way'. I think there are people out there who would accept a quieter viewpoint. But now I'm starting to sound pretentious - "Only a few people are sensitive enough to appreciate ... blah blah ..." - so I think I'll just leave it there. This is indeed, a very quiet print; I hope some people find it to their liking.
Click here to see a larger image of the print.
The catalogue entry for this print.
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Posted in Prints
by Dave Bull at 9:58 AM, May 6, 2006
'After Hokusai' ... what does that mean? Shouldn't many of the prints in the Mokuhankan catalogue be described in a similar fashion, being made from newly-cut blocks based on existing designs? Reproductions ... reprints ... restrikes ... what a tangled mess of descriptions are used for prints like these! I am mostly going to use the word 'reproduction' for those prints in this catalogue that we have produced with a good sense of fidelity to the original version. Some of the prints may not be the same shape or size as the original, but if the design is inherently unchanged, 'reproduction' is how it will be described.
This one though, is different. There isn't enough left of the 'original' to warrant describing it as a 'Hokusai', but as he is where the 'seed' came from, it seems only fair to use his name that way.
This print is a kind of ‘amalgam’ of three parts. There is a page in Hokusai’s famous manga collection of designs that shows two turtles in pretty much the same orientation you see here; a larger animal with a smaller one swimming nearby. It was not coloured.
Hokusai also prepared more elaborate designs for other prints depicting turtles, and it is from one of those that the colours/patterns on this turtle came.
None of those images had a background like the one here; that came from the 7th print in David’s Hanga Treasure Chest, a design depicting a carp swimming (also based on a Hokusai original).
So I don’t pretend that this is a ‘Hokusai’ design, but I have no doubt whatsoever that he would either approve of the evolution of his design this way, or at the least, wouldn’t care much about it!
A 'reproduction' it isn't; an 'original' it isn't ... but whatever you call it, I hope you like it!
Click here to see a larger image of the print.
The catalogue entry for this print.
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Posted in Prints
by Dave Bull at 9:08 PM, March 5, 2006
This is an exact reproduction of one of the prints known as 'Akashi-ban' surimono, this one designed by Yajima Gakutei. In the early 1890's an enterprising publisher in Akashi, near Kobe, issued many dozens of prints based on Edo period surimono (privately published prints). Scholars believe that these prints were targeted at the foreign market, as relatively few of them are found in Japan these days, while they commonly turn up in Europe (Kobe was one of the areas first opened up to foreign settlement).
They are wonderfully made, with superbly carved calligraphy and well-executed printing. They differ from the earlier prints chiefly in the paper; most surimono originals are printed on paper with very weak sizing, if any.
This reproduction is as close to an exact copy of the Akashi version as is possible to make. Dave cut the blocks in late 1998, and pulled a small number of copies which were given to guests at the final exhibition of his 10-year Hyakunin Isshu printmaking project. These Mokuhankan prints are now being pulled from the same blocks by printer Shinkichi Numabe.
The blocks are Japanese cherry, but utilize boxwood inserts for the areas of delicate calligraphy. A 'photo-essay' showing how this print was made can be seen here on Dave's website.
Click here to see a larger image of the print. (228Kb)
The catalogue entry for this print.
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