⛩️ Spirit of the Forest ⛩️
There is definitely a ghost in this machine…
#ukiyoe #japan #mokuhankan #jizo

Ein japanischer Holzschnittdruck im Shin-hanga Stil. In mitten eines alten Waldes steht in der Abenddämmerung eine runde Plattform, offenbar ein Hologrammprojektor. In grünlichem Licht wird eine kleine Jizo Statue mit leuchtend roten Lätzchen als Hologramm projeziert. Vor dem Hologram steht ein Tanuki und blickt mit leuchtenden Augen auf den Betrachter.

Cecile and Olivier comment on this design: Since the beginning of this series, we wanted to explore the world of yokai, the spirits from Japanese folklore. We originally imagined a wandering tanuki in a futuristic city, but it just didn't work. So we took the opposite approach: introducing a futuristic element into an ancient forest. Shigeru Mizuki once said that electric lighting made the yokai disappear. But then again, aren't holograms the ghosts of the future? Comment from the publisher: We are now half-way through our series of interesting prints, and it is (past!) time to introduce you to somebody who stays ‘behind the scenes, but who is an extremely important part of this project - Naho Murata, who is making all the paper for the series this year. Murata-san has been working in the field of papermaking for nearly thirty years, learning different aspects of the craft at workshops in Echizen, one of Japan’s historical paper-making areas. Year by year she has gained experience, improving her skills at every step.

(Dave) have been watching her progress for a long time, and last year I approached her with a proposal to offer our support in establishing an independent papermaking workshop. It hasn't been a completely smooth and easy process, but I can now report that she is up and running, with Mokuhankan as her initial client. The “Takeoff” print that started this series was the first to be created on washing made entirely by her hands, in her own workshop, and we have followed month by month. Our printing team is unanimous in praise of the paper; it is strong yet at the same time delicate, and is clean and beautifully clear of bark scraps. It has a wonderfully smooth surface, and is a delight to use. We are hugely proud to have been able to play a (small) part in helping Murata-san get established, but now have a real concern - once ‘word gets out’ about this beautiful new paper, we might just find ourselves at the back of the line in her order book ... :-) Dave Bull, Mokuhankan

@ateliersento Die Sommerpause ist rum und ich habe noch 2 Drucke nachzumelden :-) Erstmal hier der Besucher im Wald. Tolle Lichtstimmung und Kontraste!

#japan #kunst #ukiyoe #mokuhankan #shinhanga #art

Ein bunter Holzschnittdruck im Shin-hanga Stil. Eine Astronautin in einem minimalistischen, retrofuturistischen roten Weltraumanzug schwebt zwischen einigen kleinen Asteroiden die im Orbit eines großen blauen Planeten schweben. Mit einer Art Lasermesser löst sie rosa Kristalle, die sie in einem Netz sammelt das neben ihr schwebt. In der oberen Bildhälfte steht auf einem der Asteroiden ein rotes Torii. Der Asteroid ist mit einem dicken Seil mehrfach umwickelt und mit einem daneben schwebenden Asteroiden verbunden.

Space Ama Cecile and Olivier comment on this de- sign: A few years ago, we had the chance to go snorkeling off a small island in Okinawa. Underwater, everything felt surreal: the coral-covered rocks looked like distant planets, and the creatures living among them seemed almost extraterrestrial. That vision inspired this new design. We needed a character - and who better than an ama (the traditional sea-diving fisherwoman) to explore this cosmic sea in search of otherworldly treasures? Comment from Dave: Now that our series is well ‘up and running', we are hearing plenty of feedback from collectors. The series is being received well, and a common comment is that people are clearly enjoying the wide (can I say ‘extreme’?) variety of images being presented. And although there is a coherence to the series, nobody has any clue as to what to expect when they open the package each time. This is part of the appeal of a project like this, but one that is denied to me specifically, as the publisher. I've seen them! I know what is coming up! Because I am involved in...

much back-and-forth with the designers at every stage during the planning stages, there is no element of surprise for me at all. And spare a thought for those designers - Cecile and Olivier. They send me a drawing, but what they receive in the mail a few months later is something completely different. Many things have changed. Colour printed on paper is always different from colour painted on paper. Our carving team will inevitably alter the shape of lines with their knives. If we have done our work well, the result should be a coherent print, but it will always be ‘different’ from the design. But this is what it means to be ‘collaborative'. Each member of the team brings his/her own skills to the table, and if everything has been coordinated properly, the result will be something far better than what any of us could have created individually. This is the ‘secret’ strength and power of the traditional Japanese printmaking process - teamwork! Dave Bull, Mokuhankan

Das Mai-Motiv von @ateliersento lässt uns "abtauchen" in die Tiefe des Alls. Wieder einmal tolle Verbindung von Tradition (die Ama-Taucherinnen, das Torii) und Zukunft.

#japan #kunst #ukiyoe #mokuhankan #shinhanga #art

Holzschnittdruck im japanischen Shin-hanga Stil. Ein Junge und ein Mädchen vor einem alten Spielzeugladen. Der Junge spielt mit einem ferngesteuerten Spielzeug-UFO. Am Bildrand sitzt eine braun getigerte Katze auf einem Getränkeautomaten und schaut auf das UFO. Von oben ragen weiß-pinke Kirschblüten ins Bild.

Now and then in our Asakusa shop we ' hear a question like, “Do you have any work by the printmaker Hokusai?” We answer that we have many prints designed by Hokusai, but that he himself did not actually make prints. The visitors are sometimes surprised by this, as they have assumed that he made the Great Wave (for example) by himself, as is common , with printmaking in some other cultures. Prints in the Japanese tradition - including the one you are now looking at - are made by a team. The work of the designers is of course important, as without that nothing else can proceed, but it is only a beginning. This particular image changed quite dramatically as it moved through the process, and all four members of the ‘Ukiyo-e Quartet’ - publisher, designer, carver and printer - had a Eand in shaping its final form. In the old days, the only person credited was the designer (usually with their name carved onto the print), but the publisher sometimes also put his ‘mark’ into one corner of the image. The craftsmen? Pretty much...

Fast vergessen, der April-Druck der @ateliersento designten Reihe von Mokuhankan. Schön verspielt und frühlingshaft 🌸

#japan #kunst #ukiyoe #mokuhankan #shinhanga #retrofuturism

Holzschnittdruck im japanischen Shin-hanga Stil. Das Bild zeigt ein überflutetes Tokyo. Vom Tokyo Tower schaut nur die Spitze aus dem Wasser. Die Hochhäuser drumherum sind mit grün überwuchert. In der Bildmitte fährt ein Zug durch die Häuserschlucht - auf dem Wasser.

@ateliersento Der März-Druck ist angekommen. Wieder ein fantastisches Motiv, mit Studio Ghibli Vibes.

#kunst #japan #art #ukiyoe #mokuhankan #shinhanga

Ein Holzschnittdrucke in Ukiyo-Stil. Eine winterliche Landschaft, im Hintergrund schaut der Fuji aus den Wolken, zu seinen Füßen ein verschneites Dorf am See. Im Vordergrund steht eine Person mit Strohhut und Strohmantel vor einem runden, tiefschwarzen Portal. Im Portal glitzert eine Spiralgalaxie.

Hintergrundinfos zum Bild. Leider in zwei Spalten nebeneinander formatiert, so dass die automatische Texterkennung alles durcheinander würfelt. Kurz zusammengefasst: David Bull, der Projektleiter sozusagen, hat den Künstlern vorgeschlagen den Druck in klassischer japanischer Pinseltechnik zu entwerfen und wie er sie dabei unterstützt hat. Die beiden Künstler ergänzen noch, dass sie ursprünglich geplant hatten einen Monolithen a la 2001 in die Schneelandschaft zu stellen, haben sich dann aber doch für ein rundes Portal entschieden.

@ateliersento Runde 2 ist schon angekommen! Das Schwarz des Portals ist wirklich tiefschwarz, das Portal schwebt förmlich über dem Bild. Großartig!

#japan #art #kunst #ukiyoe #mokuhankan #shinhanga

Various Artists~Japanese Jazz Spectacle Volume 1.

Deep, heavy and beautiful Jazz from Japan.

Goes Well with my bonus Patreon Woodblock Print I recieved yesterday from Dave Bull and Mokuhankan.

#jazz #japanesejazz #nowplaying #nowspinning #vinyl #vinylcommunity #woodblockprint #mokuhankan

Holzschnittdruck im japanischen Stil. Zwei Frauen im Kimono in Rückansicht blicken von einem mit Bambus gesäumten Weg auf eine weite, schneebedeckte Ebene. In der Ferne sieht man einige Gebäude, offenbar eine Raketenabschußbasis. Eine Rakete im retrofuturistischen Design steigt gerade in den Himmel.

Heute endlich den ersten Druck aus der diesjährigen Serie von Shin-hanga Drucken von #mokuhankan. Tolles Design von @ateliersento ! Was man auch erst richtig sieht, wenn das Licht von der Seite auf den Druck fällt: der Schnee und der Rauch der Rakete sind mit […]

[Original post on bonn.social]

I love real japanese woodblock prints. My main source getting them is Mokuhankan, based in Tokyo, led by David Bull. Pay the site a visit and/or watch his Youtube videos.

mokuhankan.com/index.html

#hokusai #mokuhankan #davidbull #greatwave #tokyo #japan #woodblockprint