JAPANESE WOOD-CUTTING AND WOOD-CUT PRINTING. 227 



c. Red, "yo-ko," a kind of scarlet (imported), probably carmine. 

 Formerly the best kind of safflower, called "ki-jo-mi," was used, but 

 on account of its present high price the use of "yo-ko" has become 

 quite popular. 



d. Blue, "bero-ai," is Prussian blue. Formerly "ai-ro" paste, ob- 

 tained by extraction from blue threads or rags dyed with indigo, or 

 from "ai-gami," a paper saturated with indigo, was used. But since 

 the introduction of Prussian blue from Europe its use has become quite 

 general. 



e. Yellow, "ki-wo, r is orpiment. Formerly "zumi," extracted from a 

 particular yellow wood; turmeric, "wukon-ko;" and a yellow ocher, 

 "wo-do," were used, but orpiment has now taken their place. 



For mixing these colors water only is used, but never any sizing, 

 such as glue, except with lampblack, as before stated. A small quan- 

 tity of rice paste is, however, mixed with the colors on the block or 

 plank when color prints are to be made. 



By mixing these pigments the various hues desired can be obtained, 

 but the results will be as bright as those shown in " Yinaka genji" only 

 in the hands of a skilled workman. There is, however, no particular 

 method of producing these colors; the result depends entirely on the 

 practical experience of the printer, who can judge the exact proportions 

 of the pigments to be mixed, without using either balances or measur- 

 ing glass, and who does the mixing either in his color dishes or upon 

 the blocks themselves. Bice paste gives a peculiar luster to the colors, 

 and much of their beauty depends upon the time and care devoted to 

 grinding them with water. It is a fact well known to Japanese printers 

 that skilled hands produce much finer colors with the same pigments 

 than unskilled hands. 



There is a brilliant purple [violet] in "Yinaka genji" which has been 

 taken for an aniline color, although no aniline color has been used in 

 the printing of this picture. The color in question was obtained by 

 boiling a certain quantity of red (scarlet) and blue (Prussian blue), such 

 as those just described, with water, and with proper treatment a bright 

 purple [violet] can be obtained, almost the same as an aniline purple. 

 This latter purple, however, has now come more generally into use, 

 owing to the ease with which it can be managed. A brown color, 

 formerly made by mixing red, yellow, and black, has now also been 

 replaced by "bengara," which is a kind of red ocher. 



The pigments used for printing "Namibia domestica"* arc quite 

 different from those so far spoken of, but the method of using them is 

 the same. Following is a description of these pigments: 



a. Black, "sumi," the best kind of India ink made in China or Japan 



* This picture represents a stalk with leaves and a cluster of the fruit of "Nandina 

 domestica/' a plant belonging to flic Barberry family, printed on a sheet measuring 

 6 inches in breadth by 9| inches in height. It is without a background and with- 

 out outlines, broadly and effectively modeled, but without any attempt at realistic 

 rendering. 



