Misty day in Nikko

The print you see here was published in 1937 by Hiroshi Yoshida, designed by himself of course, then carved and printed by artisans working under his direction. His works are now in the public domain, and we here at Mokuhankan felt it would be a worthy challenge for our team to bring a new version to life.

We have no access to the original blocks to learn how it was 'built', so I undertook a long process of 'reverse engineering', through study of different copies of the print in museums and private collections, trying to develop an understanding of how the various colour layers and overlays came together to create the final image.

​

During the creation of this print, I was still in the midst of my apprenticeship while working a day job. As a result, much of the work was done late in the evenings and on weekends. The process of carving the blocks took a long time, but much of my focus was spent agonizing over decisions regarding how to cut the color blocks. Once a decision was made, it affected all the other color blocks, so each choice was critical. Without the original surihon (key print), these shin hanga works are extremely complicated, and figuring out how to discern the blocks can be quite challenging.

​

This print holds a special place in my hearth as it was the final project i made before quitting the day job and becoming a full time carver. Thank you Mr. Yoshida for the wonderful challenge and learning experience.

​

Check out the lengthy three part series documenting each step of the process of recreating this print.