Seba Station (洗馬)

Designer: Utagawa Hiroshige | Printer: Atsushi Kawai

Paper size: 10cm by 14.5cm | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [HC] ? ( Change currency: $ / £ / € )

Price: $ 60.00£ 48.00€ 52.00

   

Description: This little print is a very unusual item in our HangaClub series - although it was printed here in our Mokuhankan workshop, we did not do the carving. We made this print using an antique set of blocks. We have been haunting auction sites for such blocks, and were recently able to make a purchase of a number of old sets, some in useable condition, some warped and aged beyond repair. This block set wasn't perfect, and there are some places where the wood has been knocked or worn a bit, leaving some slight defects in the print, but we felt that it was still worthwhile using for production.

We have seen these blocks attributed to both the Takamizawa Company - at the time the pre-eminent workshop for doing such work - and/or the Tanseido Company, active some years before them. All of us here at Mokuhankan were astonished when we inspected the carving; not just the microscopic level of detail, but the taste and finesse of the work. Although we here have no reason to be embarrassed by the work we are currently doing, it has been a bit eye-opening to realize that there are mountains still waiting to be climbed!

This is one of the most evocative landscape designs ever created. It is one from the long series depicting locations on the old Kiso Highway (the inland route from old Edo down to the capital at Kyoto). How is such an effect created, with so few colour applications? It’s the _transparency_ of the pigments used by the printers in the traditional method of making ukiyo-e prints that provides the magic. Underlying colours - as seen here in the sky - show through the overlaid impressions, giving a wonderful depth to the finished print.

   

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