Bio
'The goal of the carver to disappear. To make their own mark but to cut as if they were never there.
Only the brush remains under the touch of a true master'
Taran Eden Casey is 31 years old and currently undergoing a full apprenticeship in mokuganga. Born in Wales (UK) , Taran made the move to pursue his dream of becoming a professional carver of Japanese woodblock print. Now living in Tokyo Japan and studying under one of the last remaining true masters, the 9th generation carver, Motoharu Asaka of Takumi Hanga. Taran in currently in the former years of a 10 year apprenticeship. His goal is to attain the highest level of carving and get as close to the old masters as he can in his lifetime. Wishing to faithfully reproduce beautiful works of art and promote traditional mokuhanga into the future so that generations from now will be able to experience and learn techniques that have been honed over hundreds of years of development. The production of mokuhanga is traditionally made by a quartet of people. Publisher, artist, carver and printer. Taran is of the carving discipline.
I use Ginko as a pseudonym for my work for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is that ginkgo leaves are a symbol of the city in which I live, Tokyo. It symbolises future growth, charm and tranquility. I've always loved gingko, ever since I was young, and in university I dedicated a large portion of my dissertation to ginkgo. The two leaves represent the nature of learning this craft, the two leaves representing master and student.
2018 - present
apprenticeship at Takumi Hanga
patreon - Ginko Hanga
if you like what you see here and what i am trying to do the please consider becoming a patreon, videos are being made to dive deeper into the world of woodblock print making here in japan as well as annual rewards for you patronage.
