Production of the Ukiyo-e

Ōmori from the series “Famous Places in the Eastern Capital by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. c 1832/33. An example of a full-colored woodblock ukiyo-e print.

The ukiyo-e, or 'pictures of the floating world,' is a genre of Japanese floating world prints that permeated the Edo Period (17th-19th century) in Japanese society. Its subjects include breathtaking natural phenomena popularized by Katsushika Hokusai, portraits of Kabuki (classical Japanese theatre) actors, and erotica. While the ukiyo-e was sometimes sold in singular print form, it garnered great success in book form (with titles often ending in gafu, or album), and more intricate compilations of famous ukiyo-e artists achieved the height of what we consider an expensive art book today.

Roles

The production of a ukiyo-e is centered around artistic collaboration and division of labor. The Western notion of the isolated artist and individual artistic genus is less culturally relevant in 17th–19th century Japan. Painters, print designers, woodcarvers, writers, publishers, and more form the network of consciously interweaved participants in the ukiyo-e art world.

The hanmoto is the publisher of the ukiyo-e. Because the ukiyo-e art world is a more commercial, accessible one as opposed to one segmented into the high art society, the production of the ukiyo-e is highly influenced by market demands and needs. The hanmoto is the player who commissions the work and oversees its completion and subsequent distribution. Often times, the hanmoto also brokered for apprentices for aspiring ukiyo-e painters. This is particularly important because ukiyo-e painters are stylistically distinct from each other and separated by schools. By knowing which artist to commission according to the school they are identified with, the hanmoto could expect a certain stylistic consistency.

Once the hanmoto decides to commission a profitable artwork, the eshi, or the painter, would design the artwork. They would create a series of sketches known as the gako until they arrive at a final sketch of the design, which they would render in black ink on a piece of paper as the preparatory drawing for the woodcarver to follow, along with notes on the colors to be used; this sketch is called the hanshita-e. The eshi is the central figure in the production of the ukiyo-e and is generally the one to achieve fame and prominent status. Ukiyo-e artists like Utawaga Hiroshige would be an example of the eshi.

The woodcarver, or the horishi, would use the hanshita-e to carve out the design on a piece of wood (usually cherry wood), creating the key block known as the omahan. Depending on the skill of the horishi, varying levels of detail could be achieved. For instance, delicate and precise renditions of hair requires a high level of expertise, carved in one-millimeter widths. A number of printed proofs off the omahan would then be returned to the eshi, who would indicate their choices of colors. The horishi, based on the response of the eshi, would carve individual color blocks based on the printed proofs. In total, then, the horishi would have created a key block and multiple color blocks before transferring the materials to the next artist.

The printer, or the suroshi, would complete the process by printing the woodblocks onto the actual paper itself while adjusting for the more nuanced details.

Woodblock Techniques

The ukiyo-e utilizes the woodblock printing technique which originated from China. The earliest example of its employment was in the early 17th century, where black ink (sumi) was used. As crafters developed the technique, polychrome printing became the norm, beginning with "two-color hand-colored prints (tan-e) using red and green pigments" to, eventually, the proliferation of multi-colored prints in the mid-18th century.

Colors

The pigment called yuen was used in sumi ink, the color of early monochrome ukiyo-e prints, and they were sourced from burning pine, oil of nuts, or other trees. Different shades of black could be achieved through gradation in order to paint varying levels of details.

Next came the development of hand-colored prints, before the nishiki-e, or polychrome, technique was developed in the 18th century. Rendering a full-colored print technique requires multiple woodblocks, and according to modern analyses of pigment usage in ukiyo-e prints, organic elements such as red safflower and inorganic elements like red lead are both found in ukiyo-e prints regardless of when they were painted, even after the introduction of the Prussian blue from the Western world after the the opening of Japan in the mid-19th century. In consideration of the dominance of pigment in woodblock printing, David Bell opines that, "The delineation of shapes or areas of colour is possibly the most important function of ukiyo-e line."

Carving and Printing

An example of the kewari technique. One may note the minuscule spacing of the hairline in this print by Kitagawa Utamaro, an artist best known for his portraits of women's faces in close proximity.

Knives, chisels, rubbing pads, and hake are among the tools used for carving wood.Meanwhile, the aforementioned mastery of carving intricate line details is often see in the hairlines of close-up portraits. These mesmerizing artistic feats are known as the kewari technique.Other techniques include embossing (or karazuri), which is achieved through impressing the woodblock onto the print without any ink on it, creating a layer of textured, three-dimensional effect.

Societal Impact & Legacy

The ukiyo-e was a highly accessible and consumeristic product in Japanese society at the time. Prints and books were sold not only by shops themselves, but also by traveling sellers and merchants. Their level of influence and interaction with Japanese society indicates a degree of literacy, since ukiyo-e illustrations are often used to accompany texts as well. These categories, the extension of the ukiyo-e prints beyond the function of pure visual art, include the sharebon, or witty short-form novels, and the kibyōshi, or satirical collections with yellow covers. The ukiyo-e tradition furthermore contribute to and build upon established literary canons, such as the creation of the Tenarai Hyakunin Isshu illustrated by Kitao Masayoshi, a collection of short, one hundred classical poems ranging from the 7th century to contemporaneous times newly rendered and illustrated through woodblock printing.

Interestingly, in the design world, the ukiyo-e would become the prototype for tattoo culture as well, further evincing the manner by which the ukiyo-e enters the public consciousness and the bridging between "low" and "high" art often so meticulously delineated in Western artistic culture.