3 Art Cs in Tokyo - Woodblock Printing

边走边吃的 snacks & stand-up breakfast @ Tsukiji market

woodblock printing lesson was held at master artisan Motoharu Asaka's studio!!! He's already 75 years old (born 1951) and one of the very few remaining high-level traditional woodblock carvers in Japan. 

the master himself was teaching in the adjacent space about half an hour after our lesson started 

this, i believe is the official entry level to woodblock carving... 

this should be intermediate

this one confirm advance!!! she was creating designs for her own boards and the master was guiding her on the area to be shaded (carved) for each layer... 

our super beginner level to woodblock printing, the printing itself, were taught by the master's apprentice, a German carver based in Tokyo, as the master himself doesn't speak much English and he had his regular class on-going for the timeslot we chose...

 

he shared that one block could take up to 120 hours to carve and he's in the midst of creating a set of 20 blocks for a single print!!!... 😱😱😱

didnt have to refer to the printed instructions at all

cos we had live demo

and one-to-one close supervision and assistance

印好了 and 印好 are miles apart on the skill mastery index... 

< Ink & Pigment Mastery >

woodblock printing (especially Mokuhanga) uses water-based pigments rather than oil-based inks.

• Consistency Control: Achieving the right balance of water, pigment, and rice paste (nori) is vital. Too much water causes bleeding; too little results in uneven texture.

• Bokashi (Gradation): This is the skill of creating a soft fade from one color to another directly on the wood block using a specialized brush (hake).

< The "Baren" Technique >

The most physical part of the process is transferring the ink to the paper using a baren (a hand-held circular tool).

• Even Pressure: You must apply consistent, circular pressure across the entire block to ensure the ink saturates the paper fibers without tearing the damp paper.

• Sensory Feedback: A master printer "feels" through the baren to know if the ink has transferred correctly.

< Kento >

To get a "good" print that isn't blurry or misaligned, you must master the kento.

• Alignment: This involves carving tiny L-shaped and straight-line notches into every block. The skill lies in placing the paper into these exact notches every single time for every color layer. Even a 1mm error will ruin the final image.

< Paper Preparation >

• Moisture Management: The washi (Japanese paper) must be dampened perfectly. If it is too wet, the ink will run; if it is too dry, it won't pick up the pigment from the wood.

back to bao bao, one for each for them and 3 for KY... 

Cynthia's brother & sister-in-law treat dinner @ Inakaya Roppongi, a world-famous restaurant for its theatrical Robatayaki style

The ingredients were neatly decked out in front of us. 

The chef prepped & grilled our orders in front of us then served them to us in a long wooden paddle.... 

The waiting staff would use chants and rhythmic shouting to announce orders to the chef creating a super lively atmosphere...  

yummy feast that engaged all my 5 senses; sight, smell, hearing, taste & touch !!! Grateful for the treat too... 😍😍😍

战利品s of the day... 

'found' my 2027 work planner!!! 2x square grid exercise books from Muji @ 120 yen each only... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

mac breakfast before our 8.30am flight home... meant that we woke up at 4am

walked past this then realised that our prints the day before was a combination of Hokusai's most iconic works!!! 

It features the atmospheric sky from the first masterpiece, the majestic mountain from the fourth, and those legendary waves from the final artwork. 

Realizing the cultural weight behind these designs made every minute and every yen of the class even more worth it. 😍😍😍

On time to send me home!!!