老舗手摺匠 竹中木版 竹笹堂

Renewed interest over woodblock print in Japan

http://www.cctv.com/video/cultureexpress/2008/03/cultureexpress_300_20080305_7.shtml

Source: CCTV.com

03-05-2008 09:42

Many of China's traditional arts have achieved popularity on distant shores.

The ancient art of woodblock printing, also known as ukiyo-e printing, is experiencing a renaissance in Japan. Originally developed in China, woodblock printing, over the centuries has become a unique Japanese art form. Today, even foreign printers have mastered its intricate and elaborate techniques.

The iconic woodblock print, 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa', was created by Hokusai in 1830. The recognizable design captures a large wave at sea. A snowcapped Mount Fuji stands in the background.

The origins of woodblock printing are found in China but like many other cultural imports, Japanese artists and craftsmen have made it their own, over time.

One of the most extensive collections of woodblock prints is housed in the Japan Ukio-e museum, close to the city of Nagano. Today the collection contains over 100,000 ukiyo-e prints, screens, books and paintings.

The collection was started by Sakai Yoshiaki, a wealthy paper merchant and patron of the arts, during the 1790s.

More than two hundred years later, the museum is run by one of his descendents, Sakai Nobuo. Sakai Nobuo says prints usually were made by teams of artists, unlike other visual arts.

The outline would be carved by a master engraver. The colour blocks would be made by apprentices. Across Japan, small studios keep these traditional techniques alive. 

Artists like Takenaka Kenji carefully reproduce some of the art's best known prints. Today he works with his father and an apprentice. Members of the family have been woodblock printers since the middle of the 19th century.

Takenaka Kenji says the artists who printed 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa', would have destroyed the original drawings and engraved them on a block of wood.

Once the wood block was engraved, paint would have been applied and the gradation of colours created by spreading the paint with a brush. The most difficult part is the actual engraving. As the layers of paint are applied,intricate details appear on the prints.

Woodblock printing also has been taken up by non-Japanese artists. US-born Daniel Kelly was drawn to woodblock printing during a visit to Kyoto. He met a printer, who took him on as an apprentice.

Today Kelly, who has lived in Kyoto more than thirty years, has his own apprentice working in his studio. Some of his work and the techniques he uses are inspired by the ukiyo-e artists. Kelly says Van Gogh was greatly influenced by the colourful Japanese woodblock prints.

For Takenaka Kenji, the art is a collective process. He says woodblock prints are the product of people working together and creating. Thanks to this, woodblock printing is being kept alive by a diverse group of artists.

老舗手摺匠　竹中木版　竹笹堂
http://www.takenaka.ne.jp/


京の詩季彩 ＞ 竹中木版 竹笹堂
http://www.kyokira.jp/modules/shikisai/report.php?id=54