[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest            Wednesday, 11 February 1998    Volume 02 : Number 066

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From: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 12:56:06 -0600
Subject: [Baren 369] More about Mr. Iwano Ichibei... 

Dave writes:
>The name I've been using so far is 'Ichibei Iwano'.  Does this match 
>anything in that book, Julio? By the way, please tell me more about 
>this book - title, publisher, etc.

The name of the book is Evolving Techniques in Japanese Woodblock Prints by 
Gaston Petit & Amadio Arboleda, Kodansha International Ltd, Tokyo, San 
Francisco, New York, published through Harpers & Row, First edition 1977. LCC: 
77-75974, ISBN: 0-87011-309-7

The book is all technique...with hundreds of photos of artists at work. Mostly 
contemporary prints but by their look...most of these guys are in their 50-70's 
in age. Artists are shown doing a step-by-step demonstration of their special 
techniques. Artists covered are  (last name first) Yamaguchi Gen, Morozumi 
Osamu, Maki Haku, Noda Tetsuya, Funasaka Yoshisuke, Yoshida Hodaka, Matsumoto 
Akira & more . 

>From the chapter on paper-making by hand  I quote:

"Living in Fukui Prefecture, Iwano Ichibei* was one of Japan's most 
distinguished makers of paper; he was named a "Living National Treasure" 
(ningen kokuho) by the Japanese goverment in 1968. Iwano, himself the eight 
generation of a family of papermakers, worked with his two sons and their wives.

Note at bottom of page;
* Mr. Iwano passed away in November, 1976 during the preparation of the 
manuscript for this book."

The chapter then goes on in detail on a step-by-step process as done by Mr. 
Iwano...with photos of the family at work. Dave; it is most probable that the 
family has continued to use Ichibei Iwano's name as you mentioned it might be a 
common practice in Japan. 

Julio

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From: Jean Eger <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 11:50:21 -0800
Subject: [Baren 370] Re: Baren Digest V2 #65 

Dave wrote:
> It turned out that Shojiro was the name of the father (who had
> passed away a long time before this ...);  Kazuo was the name of
> the guy I had been dealing with.  He had continued using the father's
> name for all these years, as he hadn't felt ready to start using
> his own name yet.  My decision to start publicizing his name a bit
> more widely had finally given him the incentive to start using his
> own name - which appeared on the invoices from then on.
>
> As I said, he was about 60 at the time of these events ...
>

I am glad you mentioned this Dave.  This is a matter of great curiosity 
for me.  You are talking about people who went through World War II and 
may have begun to use the names of their ancestors as a response to the 
polical climate of the time.  I have a pet theory that Abstract Expressionism 
was a kind of information blackout similar to electrical blackouts of the 
time.  I also wonder about the practice of signing prints with pencil.
Did we have agents in Europe who posed as artists?  Perhaps we can talk 
about these things now that the war has been over more than 50 years.  
I suppose I may sound weird, but I may write a novel while you are writing 
an Encyclopedia.  I was born in 1942, so have no direct knowledge of any of 
this.

Jean

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From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown)
Date: 10 Feb 98 20:40:11 EST
Subject: [Baren 371] Paper, etc. 

Jean wrote: 
> I have a pet theory that Abstract Expressionism was a kind 
> of information blackout similar to electricalblackouts of the time.
 
I am curious what you are getting at here?
	
	On a somewhat related topic: does any one know of the color woodblock
work of Wassily Kandinsky? Books to recommend, etc.? Did he work with oil inks
or water? Print himself or hire out?

Graham,
	 The Rives Lightweight (125 gms(?)) and Heavyweight (185gms(?)) are I
think not as rugged as the BFK. I print with quite a bit of baren pressure.
Though the stuff doesn't print as smoothly as some Yamaguchi and Iwano stuff
that Dave has sent me, it does pretty well. Nearly all the prints on my
web-site were printed on it so if you have a good screen you should be able to
get a sense of the print quality possible. Daniel Smith sells this Rives
'nonBFK', as does Stephen Kinsella and I think Graphic Chemical.
	On printing wood grain: sometimes I have used a block of pine, or fir,
or even oak, to get a strong grain effect. In addition sometimes a little hand
sanding with a worn out piece of fine sandpaper. . . Then print with plenty of
paste and lots of pressure (and certain pigments seem to bring out the grain
more than others). I would imagine sealing your blocks with the 50/50 varnish
might inhibit the wood-grain effect.

Julio, I handle this Rives just as I would handle the Iwano stuff that Dave
describes (which is wonderful paper). It probably takes up more water, and I
have found is harder to dry. Actually I have done lots of proof printing on
cheap cotton rag barrier paper also. Experiment. It seems to me most Western
papers are internally sized, and I think there are lots of rag papers that will
print O.K. And I found the expensive way there are lots of Japanese papers U.S.
suppliers claim can be used for woodblock printing which are very difficult to
print on. They probably will print fine with oil but for printing with water
are either too thin, too rough, too soft, not sized, . . .
	
	On "breadboard ends" (hashibame) for woodblocks:  if you can get your
blocks to a cabinet shop with a shaper it is very easy to make an end grain
tongue and groove that will do this job. Screwed to the block only in the
center it allows for expansion movement. I've not bothered to do this for
woodblocks but have made lots of cabinet doors this way.

Matt

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From: Phil Bivins <pbivins@ac.net>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 21:17:19 -0500
Subject: [Baren 372] Re: Paper, etc. 

Matt, where were I be able to get the Yamaguchi and Iwano paper. I sure would like
to try some. Thanks, Phil

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From: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 23:31:59 -0600
Subject: [Baren 373] Ichibei Iwano- from Otaki 

Baren readers... I still have not figure out how to correct the problem with 
the "junk" characters...sorry for the incovenience..

Dave; okay....I got more info on your Mr. Iwano.....and yes he's been dead for 
quite a while....1976.
 
There is a book (here I go again with my books...) called... WASHI - The World 
of Japanese Paper, by Sukey Hughes,published by Kodansha Int. Ltd, 1978, 
printed in Japan, LCC# 77-74831, ISBN # 0-87011-318-6, 
JBC: 1072-786681-2361

Anyways...this is quite a book...all you ever want to know about japanese 
paper-making. It's quite large ( 9"x12") and all 360 pages are dedicated to 
washi. There is a complete section of b&w photos approx. 80-100 pages (just 
pictures !) showing these paper makers in a step-by-step process. The author 
covers quite a number of  villages (Kurodani, Otaki, Warabi, Yoshino,Shiroishi, 
etc) and explains differences between families and their techniques. 
This book is a treatise on the traditional japanese way of making paper. There 
are several interviews/references to masters of the art.  Of course there is a 
good deal dedicated to Ichibei Iwano and it reads like an in-person interview. 
I recognize his picture and those of his sons from my other book. Just by the 
large number of photos of him & his family at work...It looks like an in-person 
interview. I quote from the writing about Iwano:
"This paper is so strong that , grasping it with the hands across the grain, a 
man trying with all his strength to pull it apart can not tear it....experts 
estimate his paper will last more than 1500 years....Iwano beats the fibers 
with long hardwood bats without the aid of machines..his the only surviving 
shop in Japan to do all the fiber beating by hand, this work IS NOW CARRIED ON 
BY HIS SON, as it has for the past several years".
The chapter goes on to describe Iwano's methods and his findings about 
paper-making chemistry.  Such things like....heat (in boiling, etc.) acting on 
residual matter in the fibers turning cellulose into starch sugar (worm food 
!). Or that hand-beating tends to spread the Kozo fibers out while 
machine-beating tends to shred and cut the fibers lengthwise (thus reducing 
final paper strength ?) or that river washing is better compared to bleaching, 
etc .
If you are into japanese paper try to get a hold of a copy of this book. You 
can tell that the author (who lived in Japan for a number of years and trained 
under master Seikichiro Goto (also a printmaker!) has a love for this art and 
these people she describes and got to know.
One last thought from Ichibei Iwano himself; "who refused to teach the craft to 
anyone other than his immediate family (two sons and their wives)":
"The work is too arduous, the young can't take it. I have visited not a few 
villages where no one under fifty is making paper. What will happen when these 
elder craftmen die ?" 

Julio

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End of Baren Digest V2 #66
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