Japanese Woodblock Prints

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Japanese Woodblock Prints
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Ancient Roots

• Woodblock prints were first used in Japan around
  700 AD. The technique was brought to Japan by
  Chinese Buddhist monks. The original works, like
  the one pictured above, were religious text.
  Buddha is depicted with a halo in this work.

3
Technique

• Woodblocks are made by carving a scene into a
  block of wood, then coating the block with ink
  and pressing it--inside down--on paper.
• For the first 1000 years, wood block prints were
  printed in only one color--black, though
  occasionally were hand-tinted after pressed.
• When pressed, the image is reversed on the paper.

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Color Printing

• As hand-tinting became more popular, printers
  moved to hiring expert carvers to make color
  blocks so more prints could be made of each
  image.
• Each color to be printed required a separate
  block. Finer prints might have as many as 15
  separate colors--and thus 15 different blocks
  were carved to make a single print.
• The advantage was that each block could be used
  over and over again, allowing multiple prints to
  be made.
• The blocks required great precision, as each
  color section had to match exactly.

5
The Great Wave at Kanagawa

• This is one of the most famous Japanese
  woodblocks. The hill in the back is Mt. Fuji.
  Try to count the number of colors used.

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Edo Period1615-1868

• The Japanese Edo period was the height of
  block-making.
• The new block method made prints widely
  available. As a result, the subjects of the
  prints became much broader to appeal to a general
  taste, not just to the rich. Celebrities, travel
  sites, military heroes, beauties, and genre
  scenes played roles in the popular art form.
• This is a print of two popular actors shown in
  character.

7
A Beauty

• This print shows a beautiful woman. Shes
  wearing a kimono, a traditional Japanese dress.
  The variety and richness of prints in her kimono
  show her status, as does the servant that follows
  behind her. The servant has his hair cut in a
  queue, or a topknot.
• Only certain woods were allowed to be used for
  carving, and then only if the grain was right.
  Imagine the intricate cuts needed to carve the
  black print fabric and the shading on her gowns.

8
Yoko Protecting his Father

• Count how many blocks would be needed here!
• Notice the boy in the red jacket protecting his
  elderly father from the tiger prowling on the top
  left.
• Does this print make you think of a comic book?
  Does the tiger seem real or larger than life?

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Edo Period

• Edo, the ancient name of the city of Tokyo, is
  also the name given to the 250 year time period
  where samurai ruled Japan. They shut Japan off
  from foreign contact, looking inward for their
  needs.
• The art of Edo woodblocks is called ukiyo-e,
  which means pictures of the floating world, a
  reference to Japan.
• This print is of a samurai, shown in armor, but
  without his helmet.

10
Views of Edo

• When Japan opened up to the West in 1865, the
  woodblock prints had a great impact on western
  artists.
• Van Gogh, Morisot, and other painters of the age
  included the prints in their works and were
  influenced by the gorgeous color and lines in the
  works.
• How many colors can you count in this work? Does
  the bridge look like bridges you have used?