JAPANESE WOOD-CUTTING AND WOOD-CUT PRINTING. 225 



and hence much more time and labor was spent on this part of the 

 work than at present. 



Papers used for printing, and their treatment. The papers 

 used, whatever their quality, should be sized with a thin animal size. 

 Among the prints sent to the U. S. National Museum are impressions 

 on three different kinds of paper: — a special Japanese paper, made at 

 the Insetsu-Kioku paper mills [known in America as Imperial Japanese 

 paper], a Chinese paper, and "masa" paper. 



The sheets are moistened with water before the printing begins, the 

 degree of moisture differing according to the quality of the paper, 

 the proper degree being determined by the judgment of the printer. 

 "Masa" paper, for instance, on which the progressive proofs of one of 

 the pictures ("Yinaka geuji") sent to the U. S. National Museum are 

 printed, should be very slightly moistened by means of a brush. Ex- 

 periment has shown the amount of moisture in this case to be 13.86 

 per cent. A single wet sheet is put between every three or four dry 

 sheets, until a suitable layer is formed, which is pressed between two 

 wooden press boards. When all the sheets have the proper degree of 

 moisture they are ready for printing. 



As the printing on this moist paper is done with water colors, it can 

 be well done only by an experienced printer. The following points are 

 to be noted : A. The paper should rather be under than overmoistened. 

 If it is overmoistened the water colors will spread beyond their limits.* 

 If the paper dries during the progress of the work, wet sheets are 

 put between the sheets to be printed, and the heap is allowed to lie 

 until the proper degree of moisture has been obtained. If the paper is 

 thick and strong it should be slightly moistened from the back by 

 means of a brush. B. Great care must be taken not to put an exces- 

 sive quantity of color on the plank. Rice paste serves well to prevent 

 the water colors from spreading, and it ought to be used for every im- 

 pression. 



The printed sheets, in the interval between two printings, are laid on 

 top of one another, to the number of many hundred sheets. If the 

 w r ater colors have been properly applied there is no fear of offsetting 

 on the backs of the sheets. 



A backing sheet is not generally used, but if it is desired to avoid 

 all traces of the " baren " on the back of the printed sheets, a sheet of 

 thin paper is used for backing. 



Printing on silk. — Silk is occasionally used for printing instead 

 of paper, and one of the specimens sent to the U. S. National Museum 

 is on this material It is usually found necessary to mount the silk on 

 paper, but some experts can print without this device. The silk on 

 which one of the impressions of " jSTandina domestica" is printed [in 

 33 colors] was mounted on paper, but only along the edge which was 

 laid against the registering marks. When the printing was finished 

 this edge was trimmed off. 



H. Mis. 114, pt. L» 15 



