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A message to a future artisan

A person who makes kakejiku (hanging scrolls),  byoubu (folding scrolls) etc. is called Hyougu-shi or Kyouji.

There are many, many steps to complete those our traditional mountings.

In addition to learn the process and designs, Hyougu-shi needs to learn how to handle paper, water and starch.

Each handmade paper has different thickness and natural starch works different every time depend on the weather and temperature.

Hyougu-shi’s work is very difficult and sensitive.  I respect their job and of course Hyougu is inevitable to keep and show our traditional style art works.

Basically hyougu-shi doesn’t leave his autograph on his work because he is not an artist, but an artisan.

Mountings might be changed when the owner of the art work changes or the work becomes old.  

In many cases it happens 100 years, 200 years later.

So Hyougu-shi works carefully. He always imagines the next Hyougu-shi in the far future can work easily to remove the former one.  

I heard a good story when I was learning Hyougu.

There have been some Hyougu- shis who leave their names on this wood or other hidden parts discreetly when they feel they did very good job.

Only next Hyougu-shi who is charged to change the mounting notices this autograph.  But he can recognize the former Hyougu-shi’s pride here. I love this romantic story very much.

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掛け軸 kakejiku: hanging scroll

This kakejiku is designed for a modern room where we sit on chairs.  The top part is shorter than traditional style kakejiku.

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掛け軸 kakejiku:hanging scroll -very formal style-

花かともおどろきて見しよく見れば白き八つ手のかへし陽にして　白秋

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掛け軸 kakejiku: a hanging scroll

さくら生ける花弁一片水に浮き　桂信子　

Kakejiku, a hanging scroll, is designed for Japanese room. It means people sit on a floor without using chairs and look up the art on the wall from very low angle. So the art work is set on a lower part of kakejiku.

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屏風

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屏風 Byo-u-bu: folding screen.

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刷毛 hake: brushes for mounting paper

Generally shoka, Japanese calligrapher, uses very thin paper and we need to line it with another paper to make its surface flat and make it strong.

After that we put it in byo-u-bu or kakejiku style.  Recently frame and panel became very popular like western paintings.

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印泥 indei: ink pad for in-seal

It is made of moxa, oil and ‘syusa’,  red mercuric sulfide. We need to mix this with a stick to keep its condition once a week.

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印刀 into-o: Knives for seal carving.

They are similar to a carving knife for wood block print.  But these have blades on both sides. When I started learning in- seal carving, I got blisters on my hands.  Once I cut my finger so badly. Watching my blood, I felt despared. 

 It seemed that it was impossible for a woman to carve a stone. But I didn’t give up, because in-seals still atracted me so much.  

 After practicing a lot, I learned the point and i don’t need a power so much.

Now I feel more difficulty to repaire these blades.  But taking care of the tools is very, very important.

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バレン balen:  A pad for pressing paper to make a print. Generally a balen is known as a tool for wood block print.  The disk shaped pad is famous.   We also use balen when we use a big size in- seal.  We need bigger balen and we need to make it by ourselves.  It is very difficult to obtain skin of bamboo now a days....... So I feel enamoured with this tool more. And I need to add one thing more.  We need to skillful very much to print a big size in-seal.  How much did I practice........  

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二面硯 nimen-ken, Ink stone for 篆刻 tenkoku, seal carving.

It is a little embarrassing to show this in public......because there you can see the old ink in the corners.......It reveals I had been lazy. OK, it is a reality and don’t do the same thing!  This is a bad model. You can see what happens if you don’t clean an ink stone completely. I never do this with my ink stones for art works because the ink color is very, very important.  NEVER! Believe me. When we make an ‘in’ seal, we polish the stone face in flat and smooth enough.

Then we paint its face with this red ink. Next we draw the design of ‘in’ with this black ink.

We carefully draw its design with checking in a mirror. I have made a lot of ‘in’ and I can draw an mirror script without mirror! This is one of my special skills. Now I pour hot water and clean this cute ink stone completely.

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印 in: Seals

In the last article, you see the red seal next to the idiogram 亥.

Recently はんこ ‘hanko’ seals are very popular among foreigners who visit Japan, but ‘hanko’ is different from ‘in’. ‘In’ is used in totally artistic way. Its design and position is also a part of the art work.

Historically we use ‘in’ seals with our autograph.   Originally it was formal to use 2 seals after artist name, but many SHOKA, Japanese calligraphers who make modern, contemporary works often use only 1 seal. We don’t have only one ‘in’ seal for one artist. We choose a suitable ‘in’ seal for each work. In an exhibition, it is also fun to see the variation of ‘in’ seals. For me, coordinating ‘in’ and my work is a big fun. Most of my ‘in’ seals are made by myself. Especially when I start a new way of expression, I make a new ‘in’ for the new works.

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2019′s year animal is 亥 This idiogram means a wild boar in Japan. 

In China, it is a pig.

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稽古 Keiko: Daily training

We need to keep training.  One purpose is leaning shapes of idiograms.

As is well known, people created different types of script from time to time. Regular script, running script, cursive script and so on. We choose one script to make one SHO work.  We should not mix different script styles in one SHO work.  This rule requires us the wide and deep knowledge of history and styles of each script of idiograms. Each script requires us different skill of the usage of brushes.

In addition, It takes long, long time to use oriental brushes at will freely.  Anyway, I need to train myself as much as possible to create my art works. I want to make better works next time.  I need to handle my brushes better next time.  This is an endless challenge.

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三千本にかわ 膠 Nikawa: glue Iwaenogu, Japanese traditional pigment, is only powder and we mix nikawa glue as natural liquid adhesive to paint.   Sanzenbon nikawa is the most popular glue in Japan. Sanzenbon means 3000sticks.

It is because we can make 3000 pieces from 1貫kan(3.75kg) of glue. 1 kan was the basic unit of weight until middle of 20th century in Asia.

Sanzenbon nikawa glue is made from cattle skin.

Sanzenbon nikawa glue is prepared in the following way.

First put it into water one night.  Then dissolve the sodden glue slowly by immersion in hot water.

Nikawa is also the main material of 墨 sumi, Japanese ink.

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胡粉 Gofun

We use this powder to make white.  It is made from shells.  

It requires us a little complicated process to use it as a paint.

But I like this process.

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岩絵の具　Iwaenogu: Japanese traditional pigment

I love 日本画 Nihonga, Japanese traditional paingings.  Especially its colors.