JAPANESE WOOD-CUTTING AND WOOD-CUT PRINTING. 241 



or lithographing, 8 to 10 printings would be considered ;i large number 

 for the reproduction of an original of similar character. But even 

 33 is not the highest number of impressions used. I am informed by 

 Prof. Fenollosa that as many as 120 impressions were used lately on a 

 reproduction of a Japanese water-color painting, although the number 

 was considerably reduced in the printing of a subsequent edition of the 

 same picture by a different manipulation of the blocks.* It may be of 

 interest to state here, for the sake of comparison, that the highest num- 

 ber of printings used on our most complicated chromolithographs is 

 about fifty, 



From the statement by Mr. Tokuno concerning the pigments used in 

 characteristically Japanese color-printing, /'. <■., blue, yellow, and red, 

 besides black and white, it would seem as if the whole system of this 

 kind of printing were based upon the old three-color theory, which pre- 

 vailed also with the early chromochalcographic and chromolithographic 

 printers of Europe. It is nevertheless true that the Japanese print- 

 ers do not, at present at least, produce the so-called secondary colors, 

 green, orange, violet, by printing the so-called primaries, i. e.,blue and 

 yellow for green, yellow and red for orange, and red and blue for 

 violet, over one another. Wherever these ••secondaries" are needed — 

 and the same observation holds good also for the "tertiaries" — they are 

 printed by themselves, although the "primaries" which enter into them 

 may occur in the same picture. I am again indebted to Prof. Fenollosa 

 for having called my attention to the fact that the printing of the 

 "primaries" over one another to produce the '•secondaries*' does, in- 

 deed, occur in the earlier work of the Japanese printers, but it is evi- 

 dent that it has now been abandoned. As subdued and broken colors 

 were mainly used in the earlier Japanese color-prints, while the modern 

 show a decided preference for brilliant and even glaring coloring, it is 

 quite likely that this printing of the "primaries" over one another, 

 which with us is considered a decided advantage, more especially in 

 cheaper and simpler grades of work, as it saves time and money, was 

 given up, even in such work as the printing of pictures for fans, for the 

 sake of the more brilliant effects which can be produced by mixing the 

 pigments themselves. 



This brings us to another point of great importance, and that is the 

 little care had by the Japanese wood-cutters andprinters for labor- saving 

 devices and mechanical aids. ••Our arts of engraving and printing," 

 says Mr. Tokuno in one of his letters, u rely entirely upon experience, 

 with no, or very slight mechanical assistance." The manual skill, which 

 has grown out of this reliance upon experience and disdain for mechan- 

 ical aids, is truly marvelous. It is difficult to believe thai all Japan- 



*The earliest attempts at color-printing made by the Japanese, were, of course, 

 much simpler, beginning with from two to four Mocks. Sec Dr. Anderson's cata- 

 logue, before quoted, p. xvn; also Brinckmaim. 

 H. Mis. 114, pt, 2 16 



