222 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



MR. T. TOKTJNO'S COMMUNICATION. 



The woods used and their preparation. Although "tsuge," a 

 variety of Buxus Japonica, or "adsusa." Catalpa Kcempferi var. Ja- 

 ponica, are employed, according - to the degree of fineness of the written 

 characters or pictures to he reproduced, the wood most generally used 

 is "sakura," a variety of cherry. In all cases, however, the texture 

 must be very fine and hard. 



The wood is first cut into planks, and these are planed until they 

 are perfectly level and smooth, free from all traces of the plane, and 

 show some luster on the surface. Both sides are finished alike, as the 

 woodcutter utilizes both of them. 



Cut planks which are to be printed in black only are usually mounted 

 between strips nailed to each end. There are several reasons for this. 

 It prevents the warping of the planks; it gives free access to the air 

 between them, when a number are stored on top of one another, and 

 provides the best means of keeping them dry and guarding against 

 damage by insects; it prevents immediate contact of the blocks, and, 

 finally, it is sometimes very convenient, as it facilitates the drawing- 

 out of such planks as may be needed from among many stored away 

 together, the planks being marked or numbered on the sides of the 

 strips. For color-printing, however, the same plank often has two or 

 three designs upon it for different tints, and consequently has register- 

 ing marks on different parts. In that case the end strips would be in 

 the way, and are, therefore, omitted. 



The tools of the engraver. For engraving, knives and chisels 

 of the best quality are required. All the tools needed by the engraver 

 are represented on Plates IV (1-18) and V (19-25), and with the following 

 explanations their uses will be readily understood: 



/. Ruler for cutting straight lines and for fixing the registering 

 marks on the planks used in color-printing. 



2. Brush for removing from the plank the chips thrown out by the 

 cutting tools. 



3. Engraving knife, for cutting out the design. Only one knife, 

 always of the same pattern and size, is used by the Japanese wood- 

 cutters, and with this one knife they perforin all grades of work, from 

 the coarsest to the finest, the execution depending entirely <>n the skill 

 of the engraver. [See Fig. 1 for a Japanese wood-cutter's knife, actual 

 size, seen from both sides.] 



4-9. Chisels for removing smaller portions of wood between the lines 

 of the design. They are used exactly like the engraving knife. 



10, 11. Ch isels for correcting unsatisfactory parts [i. e., removing parts 

 for "plugging"]. 



12. Saw for cutting small pieces of wood to be inserted in the plank 

 where corrections have to be made. 



13-16. Chisels for removing larger portions of wood. 



17, 18. Semicircular chisels, used for the same purpose as L3-1G. 



