Mary Brodbeck

 

moku hanga woodblock prints
   
 
 

 

About Moku Hanga

“Moku” is the Japanese word for wood, and “hanga”, means print. Simply translated as “wood print”, outside of Japan the term “moku hanga” refers specifically to woodblock printmaking utilizing traditional Japanese materials and methods.

Rice paste and water-based pigments – gouache or watercolor tube paint may be used – are the inking materials specific to the moku hanga process. Purists like to use handmade Japanese paper, “washi”, as well, most notably made from “kozo”.

Printing techniques originating in Japan and particular to this process include: applying colors to the woodblock with brushes, using a “kento” registration system, and using the handheld “baren” as burnisher. Traditionally, separate woodblocks are carved and printed for each color. These methods are valued for their timeless, low tech and nontoxic simplicity.

Whether naming this art form moku hanga, woodblock print, woodcut, woodcut print, or woodprint, these terms all refer to prints made from carvings in wood, and fit into the larger category known as “relief”. In relief printmaking, the non-image area is carved away from a surface, the remaining area (left raised) is inked, paper placed upon it then pressed, so that the desired image gets transferred onto the paper. Relief printing accompanied the invention of paper (China) and is the oldest form of printmaking, dating back to approximately 600 AD. The earliest relief prints were made from carvings in stone.

 
 
Kumimasa, The Actor Ichikawa, 1796 Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa c. 1830-2

 

The Japanese developed color woodblock prints to an extraordinary degree during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, towards the later end of the Edo period (1615-1868). As an island nation and under isolationistic rule during this time, Japan’s separateness from the rest of the world contributed to their aesthetics as set apart from anywhere else. The Edo period woodblock prints are known as “Ukiyo-e”, or pictures of a floating world. Well-known print artists from this era include Kumimasa, Hokusai and Hiroshige. Made in a divided task system where there were specialists in carving and printing – in addition to specialists in papermaking, tool and woodblock making – the artists served as the suppliers of the original painting or design only. Ukiyo-e prints are extremely rich in history, influence and popularity, with diverse subjects as well as a multitude of interesting political underpinnings.

To watch a demonstration of the making of an “Ukiyo-e” print, click here.

 

  
   
Shiro, Wakakusa Mountain, undated Munakata, The Journey North, 1938

 

Having similar subjects and techniques as their predecessor, the elegant Japanese woodblock printmaking era known as “Shin Hanga”, or new print, incorporates Western-style concepts of space and light, and can be categorized as an early 20th century revival of Ukiyo-e. As in Ukiyo-e, specialists in both carving and printing actually made the Shin Hanga prints. Shiro, Hasui and Hiroshi are a few of the Shin Hanga artists.

Early 20th century print artists who were open to Western influence, particularly the German Expressionists, carved and printed his or her own designs. Their style was named “Sosaku Hanga” or creative print. Shiko Munakata was the most renown of all Sosaku Hanga artists, and deservedly so.

 
   
Funaska, from My Space My Dimensions Series, 2003 Brodbeck, Cling, 2006

 

Today, there are many artists around the world making woodblock prints and some of us specialize in moku hanga. Most assuredly, it is a labor of love. There are several books written in English on the subject and there are lots of websites and network communities on the Internet (links). To learn how to make moku hanga, it is best to take a course from someone who specializes in these techniques. I learned how to make them in Tokyo from Yoshisuke Funasaka in 1998, as a recipient of a fellowship from the Japanese government, whose mission was to “help keep traditional Japanese arts alive throughout the world”.

 

  
   
My first moku hanga (pictured with Funasaka Sensei) 1998  

 

A Few Recommended Books

Addiss, Stephen. How to Look at Japanese Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1996.

Brown, Kendall H., and Hollis Goodall-Cristane. Shin Hanga: New Prints in Modern Japan. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum, 1996.

Calza, Gian Carlo. et al. Ukiyo-e. New York: Phaidon Limited Press, 2005.

Laitinen, Kari and Moilanen, Tuula and Tanttu, Antti. The Art and Craft of Woodblock Printmaking. Helsinki: University of Art and Design Helsinki, 1999.

Illing, Richard. The Art of Japanese Prints. London: John Calmann & Cooper Limited, 1980.

Ishida, Mosaku. et al .Japanese Buddhist Prints. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1964.

Keene, Donald. et al. Japan at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Woodblock Prints from the Meiji Era, 1868-1912. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2001

Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1993.

Merritt, Helen. Modern Japanese Prints: The Early Years. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.

Newland, Amy. et al. Ukiyo-e to Shin Hanga: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints. United States: The Mallard Press, 1990.

Yoshida, Toshi, and Rei Yuki. Japanese Print-Making: A Handbook of Traditional and Modern Techniques. Tokyo: Charles A. Tuttle Co., 1966.