The Division of Labor in Ancient Japanese Print Production

 By Jim Hingst 

The Great Wave off Kanagawa
by Japanese artist Hokusai c. 1830.
(Public domain, via Wikimedia
Commons, PD-1923.)

Long before Henry Ford instituted the principle of the division of labor on the automobile assembly line, the ancient Japanese had long practiced specialization of tasks in the mass production of their ukiyo-e prints. Their division of labor included four different people: the publisher, the printer, the artist and the woodblock carver. Each of these people played distinct roles in the production of the print.

The Publisher.

The publisher got the ball rolling. After coming up with the basic idea for a print that he speculated would sell, the publisher commissioned the artist to design the print.  He also either directly employed the woodblock carvers and printers that made the prints, or he contracted to have the work done.

While production of the prints was to some degree a collaborative venture, the publisher was the driving force in the project and ultimately had last say in production. Since he put his money at risk, he was the ultimate decision maker regarding print production. This was especially true in making decisions that affected manufacturing costs and ultimately his bottom line.   

The Artist.

The design of the print resulted as a collaboration between the publisher and artist. After making preliminary sketches and subsequent corrections, a final detailed sketch was completed on a very thin paper. In many cases, the finished drawing by the artist’s assistant.

The Woodblock Carver.

The sketch was then turned over to the woodblock carver, who glued it to the wood, which had been prepared for carving. Since the woodblock is carved as a negative image of the print, the side of the paper which was drawn would be positioned against the wood.

After the print was glued to the wood, the paper was often oiled making it more transparent so the lines were more visible.  This woodblock, called the key block, was carved so that everything other than the lines was removed. At the base of the block kento registration guides were also carved, which allowed for correct alignment of printed colors. After carving the key block, additional blocks, one for each color, were also carved.

The Printer.

After the blocks were cut, the job was turned over to the printer. Just as Western artists had apprentices, so did the Japanese printers. These apprentices were charged with the responsibility of grinding the pigments and mixing the ink.

Unlike the woodcut printers in Europe, who used oil based inks, Japanese printers used water based inks. These inks are applied to the woodblocks using horsehair brushes instead of brayers (inking rollers). After inking, the paper is aligned on top of the woodblock. Using a tool called a baren, the back of the paper is burnished and the completed paper print removed from the woodblock.

Video about the Ukiyoe tradition

Using a tool called a baren, the back of the paper is burnished
to transfer the image of the inked woodblock. 

By the end of the 19^th century, offset printing had replaced hand production of Japanese prints. Fine art prints, though, are still done by many artists the old fashioned way. Today’s artists, however, usually perform all of the activities in creating a work of art, from concept to design to print production.  

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The Division of Labor in Ancient Japanese Print Production

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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2017 Jim Hingst