T he title of this sale - Masters of the Woodblock - obviously and quite rightly refers to the artists whose names we all recognise – from Harunobu to Hokusai. The other masters of woodblock we should also celebrate, however, are the largely anonymous craftsmen whose extraordinary skill made these works possible.
Beyond the acknowledged quartet of publisher: artist: carver: printer lie the many craftsmen whose lives were devoted to making the tools and materials necessary for the production of prints. From the making of paper, the fashioning of ultra-sharp carving tools from beaten steel, the grinding of pigments and the threading of brushes – these skills honed in families for generations were, and still are, indispensable to making a Japanese print. The carvers and printers still working in Japan today likewise rely on these crafts and their disappearance would threaten the continued practice of making Japanese woodblock prints. Within the prints in this sale we can clearly see the traces of their contribution whether it is through the softly receptive surface of the paper which absorbs and intensifies the colour, or the finest of lines carved with the sharpest of tools.
The prints in this sale illustrate beautifully the vibrancy of Edo society whether it is reflected through elegant courtesans and riotous parties, famous kabuki actors or equally famous places on the Tokaido Road. The print culture of Edo was efficient in its production and the artists captured at speed the evolving mores of the society. The craftsmen were right at the heart of it all and deserve credit and recognition for their contribution.
Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770)
A Girl In A Snowy Bamboo Grove
It is fitting for the sale to open with Suzuki Harunobu, who is generally credited with inventing kento, the registration system which made the complex, multi-coloured print possible. Accurate registration is the holy grail of multi-block printmaking and two simple carved notches on each block enabled Japanese woodblock to reach extraordinary heights of complexity.
In this print, the soft white of the paper is used beautifully to represent the snow as it weighs down the bamboo, and underfoot. The shaded areas on the ground show the carver’s skill in first carving a defined shape and then carefully chamfering and ‘nibbling’ at the edge in a technique called sabitsuke. When printed, the edge is soft and appears almost painterly.
Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815)
A Party in the Shinagawa Pleasure Quarters
This print, though just one leaf of a triptych, again highlights the extraordinary skill of the carvers. The kimono and the architecture are enriched with subtle textures, but here, the most extraordinary aspect is the mosquito net, partly obscuring the figures printed beneath. To create a net of this delicacy, the printer carved two blocks, one vertical, one horizontal, with lines of extraordinary fineness. This is only possible with the sharpest of carving knives - hangito - made of the same quality steel as a samurai sword, and a well-seasoned block of fine cherry wood. The layering of the figures both behind and in front of the net is subtle and sophisticated.
Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806)
The Asahiya Widow
The silent star of this print is the white of the paper which as it ages, develops a warm blush, enhancing the colour of the printed marks. The widow’s hair is printed in rich black sumi ink, with incredibly fine chamfered carvings at the hairline, to soften the marks. The striking pattern on her kimono echoes the bold hair and the two are linked through the eloquently calligraphic lines of the towel.
Toshusai Sharaku (active 1794-1795)
The actor Bando Hikosaburo III in the role of Sagisaka Sanai
Sharaku’s identity remains a mystery to this day, but there is complete certainty about the power of his prints. This dynamic portrait of Bando Hikosaburo III is barely contained by the boundaries of the paper, as he turns to look beyond the frame. Anchoring the composition, however, is Sharaku’s signature use of a mica background. Under-printed in dark grey then over-printed with either nori (rice glue) or nikawa (glue) before being sprinkled with mica powder while still wet, the resulting background has a gentle reflective quality which would, in the real world, sparkle in the light of the lamp Bando carries.
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
A Western Pocket Watch
In the context of celebrating the skills of the craftsmen, it feels appropriate to highlight a surimono. Surimono were private commissions for print aficionados, members of groups where there was keen competition between members not only in the quality of the poetry and the carved calligraphy but also in the complexity of the techniques used in the printed image. Complicated techniques using gold, silver and embossing (karazuri) were common and subtly indicated the wealth of the commissioner.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Sudden Rain Beneath the Summit (Sanka haku-u)
This Hokusai image has become so familiar that it is easy to overlook the technical skill behind the creation of this famous work – in particular, the use of gradation (bokashi). The broad blue bokashi in the sky shades from intense blue at the top returning to intense blue on the horizon behind the stylised white clouds, fading to very pale blue in between. To achieve this intense blue the printer would need to overprint several times, carefully moving the edge of the shading back to achieve a seamless gradation from intensity to barely perceptible. The gathering clouds to the right are made stormy by the addition of a tiny section of bokashi, using sumi. The technique of bokashi, which bears faint traces of the brush, provides a soft backdrop to the stylised dramatic carving of the mountain in the foreground.