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| This double page spread is particularly interesting for its use of bokashi—graded colour: green in the foreground, blue for the sea and a reddish hue in the sky.The intense black is achieved by double printing the areas of black and then burnishing them. |
Recently I had occasion to go into a Charity Shop. These days there are one or two in any big town and even in some smaller communities, too. I was, however, not prepared for such a surprise.
There on a revolving bookstand were some Japanese books. And old ones to boot.
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| A night scene at Miyajima’s Itsukushima. |
The book that caught my eye first was a pre-war English language guidebook on woodblock prints. I already have a number of these comprehensive volumes, some of which contain delicately coloured illustrations—the impression is of a well crafted book, not just a tourist publication. The booklets published in the 1930s have a semi-transparent glassine wrapper, not unlike greaseproof paper or a medium grade of tracing paper.
The title of this unexpected find is Japanese Woodblock Prints, published in 1938. It is number 24 in the “tourist library” collection and presents a number of black and white illustrations of woodblock prints as well as some in colour. I am guessing they are lithographs.
In essence the booklet traces the history of this consummate Japanese art form. One of the prints depicted is captioned “Ethereal Beauty of Itukusima Under the Starlight” based on an original print dating from 1928 by Hasui Kawase. Many will recognise the Torii gate of the shrine at Miyajima, unusually depicted at night using blues and greys as well as an aptly identified ethereal pale green for the sky and the surface of the sea. I just had to have this volume.
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| Text falls like rain on this double page spread, and becomes part of the overall composition. |
Alongside the tourist guidebook was a storybook with the most exquisite illustrations and with text often completely filling the spaces around the images. Dating from the 1870s, it appears to be a collection of tragic tales illustrated in black and white with occasional double page spreads in colour.
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| The tasteful colour palette is as interesting as the composition. The pattern of the woman’s kimono is expressed by over printing. |
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| At the collar there is an example of blind printing to produce an embossed effect. |
Are the images printed from a wooden block? I do not have the knowledge or skill to be able to answer that question. However, Steven Hutchins, a friend who dealt in woodblock prints for many years, feels certain that the illustrations are woodblock prints. This includes the colour images. The existence of what is known as gauffrage or blind printing on one of the colour spreads would at least confirm the use of a block of some kind. But how much of the writing and black and white illustrations are from woodblock prints is unconfirmed at present.
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| Figures and pattern tumble across pages and foster a feeling of tension and drama, the like of which can be found in modern manga comics. |
Steven also pointed out that although such illustrations were the work of an original artist—in this case Kunichika—it is the cutters of the blocks who are the unsung heroes of this art—the fineness of the lines even on a bigger print are perfect. And, what would they have done without wild cherry wood from which to make the blocks.
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| Examples of fine lacquerware decoration from Wajima. A steady hand and highly developed hand and eye skills needed. |
What does all of this have to do with the Noto Peninsula and Wajima’s famous lacquerware. Surely the connection is the delicacy of the illustrations in my purchases and a similar display of outstanding hand-and-eye skills that are employed in the decoration of pieces of lacquerware. Both are fine work.
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Example of bokashi effect on a piece of lacquerware.
Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright
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