Japanese wood-cutting and wood-cut printing / by T. Tokuno ; edited by S.R. Koehler.
- Tokuno, T.
- Date:
- 1894
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Japanese wood-cutting and wood-cut printing / by T. Tokuno ; edited by S.R. Koehler. Source: Wellcome Collection.
10/56 page 222
![MR. T. TOKUNO'S COMMUNICATION. THE WOODS USED AND THEIR PREPARATION. Although tSUgC, a variety of Buxus Japonica, or udsusa, Catalpa Kwrnpfen var. J«- ponica, are employed, according to the degree of fineness of the written characters or pictures to be reproduced, the wood most generally used is sakura, a variety of cherry. In all cases, however, the texture must be very fine and hard. The wood is first cut into planks, and these are planed until tucj are perfectly level and smooth, free from all traces of the plane, and show some luster on the surface. Both sides are finished alike, as the woodcutter utilizes both of them. Cut planks which are to be printed in black only are usually mountea between strips nailed to each end. There are several reasons for this. It prevents the warping of the planks; it gives free access to the air between them, when a number are stored on top of one another, ana provides the best means of keeping them dry and guarding against damage by insects; it prevents immediate contact of the blocks, and, finally it is sometimes very convenient, as it facilitates the di-awing out of such planks as may be needed from among many stored away tooether, the planks being marked or numbered on the sides ot the strips For color-printing, however, the same plank often has two or three designs upon it for different tints, and consequently has register- ing marks on different parts. In that case the end strips would be m the way, and are, therefore, omitted. ^ , • i The tools of the engraver. For engraving, knives and chisels of the best duality are required. All the tools needed by the engraver are represented on Plates lY (1-18) and Y (19-25), and with the following explanations their uses will be readily understood: 1. Ruler for cutting straight lines and for fixing the registering marks on the planks used in color-printing. 2. Brush for removing from the plank the chips thrown out by the cutting tools. 3. Emraving Tcnife, for cutting out the design. Oiily one knife, always of the same pattern and size, is used by the Japanese wood- cutters, and with this one knife they perform all grades of work, from the coarsest to the finest, the execution depending entirely on the skil of the engraver. [See Fig. 1 for a Japanese wood-cutter's knife, actual size, seen from both sides.] 4-9. Chisels for removing smaller portions of wood between the lines of the design. They are used exactly like the engraving knife. 10,11. Chisels for correcting unsatisfactory parts li. e., removing parts J^'^^ffof eiitting small pieces of wood to be inserted in the plank where corrections have to be made. 13-](>. Chisels for removing larger portions ot wood. 17,18. Semicircular chisels, used for the same purpose as L3-16..](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21782234_0010.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
