This is a big bunch of questions, and I certainly haven't clarified all these issues yet. Here is a collection of thoughts so far:

* I think all the Mokuhankan prints, whether new creations or reproductions of older designs, will carry the 'Mokuhankan' embossed seal:

* As for carver/printer information, I don't see how this will be possible with the smaller (postcard, etc.) prints. For o-ban stuff, I'm thinking to put this in the margin, the way we are familiar with many shin-hanga prints. For inbetween sizes, like Gary's Hilo Bay, I would like to put it there, but until we get closer, and I can see if it is possible without cluttering up the print, I'm not sure.

* Every print will be shipped in a package that is labelled with designer/carver/printer information, but that will of course frequently be separated from the print itself after purchase ...

So I'm of two minds about these things; part of me wants to 'keep things organized' and well documented, and another part says "Just make the things and get them out there ..." After all, if I document this all too tightly, then what pleasure is left for people like Marc in years to come, trying to figure out "What the hell did they do?" ... :-)

There is lots of room on the back side of the print for giving credit to the craftsmen. It was a bit unusual in the old days, but not totally unprecedented.

Nishinomiya Yosaku used a verso stamp (always in a dark area of the print to avoid visible bleedthrough to the front) to claim copyright.

If part of the motivation of Mokuhankan is to get people to recognize the contributions of the individual craftsmen, what better way to do it than to put their names on the prints.

I hadn't thought at all about using the reverse side of the print; bit nervous about 'show through' ... I do use pretty thin paper sometimes.

It's interesting that both of the two printers I've been dealing with for Mokuhankan issues so far - Ueda and Numabe - don't care at all (so they say) whether or not their name appears on the work. But I think it's important to the kind of thing I'm trying to do, so I'd like to have it there wherever possible ...

As for copyright notification, I don't think that is an issue any longer. It used to be a legal requirement, but is no longer the case; my understanding is that copyright now exists in an item as soon as it is created, and specific declaration with the © mark is not an absolute requirement.

I agree with Marc, that the reverse side may be a viable place to list the credits, and that they should be listed _somewhere_. If bleedthrough is a concern, would printing the 'credits' in perhaps a light or medium gray tone avoid it being visible from the front?

Also, whether or not the printer and carver, whoever they are, desire to be listed or not, I think identifying them could be of interest to collectors and future scholars, should we be lucky enough for interest in our prints to endure that long, and also, should this turn out to be a successful venture, they may change their minds and be proud to have their names on a bit of history.

There is yet another decision to be made here - that of dates. For the larger-scale contemporary work in the catalogue, I have to figure out what to do about dating them.

We're all familiar with the 'date in the margin' system that we see on shin-hanga prints, but as that was usually carved in the keyblock, it became meaningless (misleading, actually) for subsequent printings.

But when you start to list these things all together, it just becomes a huge amount of stuff to consider stamping/sealing all over the print:

• Publisher
• Designer
• Carver
• Printer
• Date of publication
• Date of printing this batch (if different)
• Title (English)
• Title (Japanese)

It might make sense to consider combining the printing date and the printer's name, because both of those are 'changeable' as later batches are printed ...

Let's look at this. I don't think it has seemed too unwieldy up to now, let's run down the list.

Publisher---is this your 'Mokuhankan' embossment in the margin, or is the publisher another seal? If not, simply put this in the lower margin as you have it going horizontally. If it were a printed seal, as Watanabe's, it could be printed somewhere on the front in a lower corner, quite unobtrusive.

Designer---in the case of my print design, I already have my 'seal' GL on the print. No need for anything else. You will have to consult other designers on how they would like their identity represented.

Carver and printer---could go in a small box in left or right margin or on back of print as previously suggested by Marc.

Date of Publication---why not simply write the date in pencil on the back as has been quite common with Shin-Hanga prints? Why have any other date than when the edition was printed? If you need to identify a later printing, simply put date of 1st publication followed by date of this printing, e.g. 2006/2007 or 2006/2010. First date is first printing, second date latest printing.

Title---my print has this in the cartouche. If an English title is desired, print it in lower left margin ala Hiroshi Yoshida. Other designers would have to be individually consulted for their prints.

A judgment would need to be made as to how many of these would aesthetically go on the front and how many carried over to the verso. That would be the publisher's call.

Let's toss this into the mix ...

These are images of how I did the 'credits' on the prints in my poets' series. I used metal type, held facing up in a small frame, and 'printed' it with a baren as the final step in the printing process. (Images are linked to larger versions ...)

   

So, for prints like Gary's or Mike's, I can easily imagine doing it a similar way. Maybe in the lower portion of the right margin, a vertical column of type giving (in Japanese):

• Carver
• Printer
• Date (this would be printing date)

Then, down along the bottom margin, a similar embossment with the print title in English. (If prints like Gary's have the title info 'built in' in Japanese, that's just an 'extra' ...)

In one corner of the image - not in the margin - the Mokuhankan embossment would be tucked away discreetly.

That should cover it, I think ...

Maybe this is just a feeling of mine, but I do not think embossed information given within the image area is aesthetic or desirable. In the margins I don't see a problem. I think in the margins it is more readable and therefore serves a better purpose. In the image area it serves only as a detraction to the illusion we are trying to create with the image. It would be like dropping movie credits into the dramatic parts of the movie rather than having them at the beginning or end.

I am also thinking you are proposing a lot of embossments and I'm really not sure whether that is an improvement over that information being printed instead. In the case of Hilo Bay, at least I think a printed English title in the lower margin would be preferable to another embossment, with embossed carver/printer and date being given vertically in the side margin and your seal and mokuhankan embossment on the lower right margin.

Maybe this is just a feeling of mine, but I do not think embossed information given within the image area is aesthetic or desirable.

I think it can be pretty discreet, especially when a dark colour is printed; look at a few of these, from my series last year. The only one where it stands out strongly is the light coloured plain background. (Embossed mark is in the lower right corner of each print)

#2 | #4 | #13

I am also thinking you are proposing a lot of embossments and I'm really not sure whether that is an improvement over that information being printed instead.

The reason I used embossing for the poets' series was that I felt there was a lot of information there, and if it were to be too visible, it would be distracting. When one looks at the prints, none of the embossing jumps out at you, as I was afraid it would if that information were to be visibly printed.

I will have to say that in the examples you cite, the embossed information in the margins is certainly not obtrusive, and the 'baren' impression within the image is harmless enough. If it is no more distracting than that, I will withdraw my objections, which were based on my worst imaginings. Your work has always been tasteful, so I will rely on your sense of aesthetics and not get too excited until we see the final result. Then, hopefully, we will all be excited! :)

Well, nothing firmly decided yet on this ... I'm still plenty open to suggestions.

I have to admit that a major factor in which way I will go here is 'simplification'; and the use of a little jig with metal type sliding in/out would certainly be simple.

But it 'works' on those poets' prints because the print is large and the embossed area is small. In the case of a print like your Hilo Bay, the ratio is quite different, and the embossing would be somewhat more intrusive than what you see in that image I just posted.

I guess one way is to make a mock-up, and I'll put this on my list of 'things to get done real soon ...' :-)

(The English titles at the bottom of Yoshida prints are impressed with zinc slugs, and they had to be ordered separately for each print ... not an insurmountable expense, but still an expense. And actually, I don't particularly like the 'hand-written' effect they preferred.)

What options do you foresee then? We have two ways to go. English translation or no English translation? If a translation, a handwritten facsimile, a handwritten in pencil title, or printed title in standard font. I nix the printed title in standard font, and you are against the printed handwritten facsimile, which leaves us with a handwritten title or none at all. If it's handwritten, that would have to be done in your studio, so I guess it's up to you. I am o.k. with either of those two options.

Just some thoughts from an outsider to this discussion...I own several Hiroshi Yoshida prints and I never cared much for the 'pencil-look' signatures on the bottom border. Rather I find them distracting and a source of confusion (did he signed them or was a block used ?) I guess if I like and care enough about a print I am purchasing I will remember the title and other pertinent info like edition date, artist and other such things...but that's just me. In the other hand the Japanese characters normally found in the left or right borders of the shin-hanga prints I find rather interesting and when absent I feel short-changed.

Whatever the final outcome of the discussions between artist and publisher regarding cartouches, signatures and so forth I am looking forward to a first-rate set of Mokuhankan prints.