I see a lot of geometry in this keyblock. It looks like a mathematical computation....and certainly not the " spontaneous " work of an " artist ". I guess that's why you call yourself a " craftsman "

Music can be like this.... when overly harsh training takes place.... and similar techniques are pushed upon the young , they lose all creativity and can only play set pieces ...as prescribed by their " puppet masters ".

I believe this is common in Japan....a severe upbringing is used to crush the human spirit and create compliance in the student in all things.

Historically , this seems to explain the blind commitment of a violent people to an unjust war....a people who visited this violence on the weak and the helpless in China in particular.....

Many woodblocks represent this attitude in Japanese culture.... of a lust for violence , blood and carnage....

The " Japanese " way !

This block might be cut perfectly...and it seems to be.... and it speaks NOTHING to the human condition.... again...very Japanese !

I don't suppose as a " wood block cutter " you are obliged to say anything at all...this was certainly the standard in the " old days " when the " guilds " held sway.

However, this is not the Japanese wood block printing I have seen from the modern Japanese wood block ARTIST....who is creative and free and not under the thumb of the powers that once ruled Japan.

The Japanese philosophers have a good deal to say about this kind of " art "...as a man like you would know.... being so well read in the culture. It's interesting that they have nothing good to say about this kind of work.... in fact they denigrate it .

Anyone who makes " Japanese " wood block should read Japanese philosophy on art...don't you think ?

Mr. Stavroff, I suspect you are sort of in the wrong place. If you are looking for statements on 'the human condition', or discussions about the meanings of 'art' you won't find any of that here on this blog (or on my website anywhere).

I make pretty pictures. Nothing more, nothing less. The publisher (and team) that created the original of this work back in the 1770s did so with the intention of illustrating the work of various craftsmen of the day. They published an attractive illustrated book; they were not making art. They would be baffled by your commentary, which is not relevant to this type of work at all.

Mr Bull;

Perhaps you could enlighten me then... If, according to you, they were not referring to " pictures " by " artists " cut by " woodblock printers "..... just what were the philosophers referring to when discussing art in Japan ?

Thank you so much.

I'm still not sure what you are trying to get at. Woodblock prints in Japan in the old days (pre-20th century) were made by teams: publisher, designer, carvers, printers.

Designers designed, carvers carved. The carvers were very very good at reproducing the lines that the designers had drawn. That was their job - reproduction. 'Creativity' wasn't part of their job description.

Your use of such terminology as 'crush the human spirit', 'a violent people', and the reference to wartime events simply makes no sense at all in the context of discussing how these prints were made, and suggests to me that you are carrying a very heavy axe that you wish to grind. The idea that you could look at the image at the top of this page, and make the leap to "this seems to explain the blind commitment of a violent people to an unjust war," simply leaves me astonished.

If you want to talk about Japanese woodblock printmaking as an 'art', then you need to go find someplace where the sosaku hanga ('creative printmaking') of the 20th century is discussed, but you won't find that here on this blog; it's just not what my work is about.

I guess you are right..... I seem to have wandered past the point. I'm confused and frustrated by what I see going on and I can't quite put my finger on it....

I make woodbock prints.... and now I'm not sure about the " culture " of it. Cutural relevance is important to me... otherwise ...it seems pointless somehow.

I honestly don't understand what I'm seeing. Since looking around, I've found that most " printers " don't seem to care about how sloppy their work is....it's muddy and fouled ..and they don't seem bothered by this. { just look at 90% of the prints in the " exchanges " on " Baren " }

Then there are the more careful and able printers, like you...they don't seem to be interested in content. { and I'm trying to understand this }
Then there are the truly gifted artists who print ...who seem beyond reach. And unlike you....THEY care about everything !

For me....the question is ...how do you {I } " get there " ? { I'm not asking you directly... but if you have an answer I'd love to hear it }

Full stop... nerw beginning !

It seems to me that YOU have an " axe to grind " as well. YOU'RE the BIG DOG of the "western carvers '.... and having read the blogs, that you wrote for the most part, you seem to treat people's concerns with contempt. You have pretty much dictated the terms of carving in the "America's "... but you won't { or don't } answer simple questions with any honesty. I actually bought your CD for only one reason...you said you were going to tell me where to buy my supplies and where and what paper to get ! Then IN THE BOOK ...YOU TELL ME ..SCREW YOU...I'VE CHANGED MY MIND ! ! ! I'm not telling you ANYTHING. So..... let's look at this.

As an example.... let's look at the paper problem you refuse to answer for. Every method of printing { and I can name them all... and have done most at one time or another } in the world has been codified and defined. You can find a book for any method. In these books on each method...you are told name of the paper used and it is easily found and available to any artist. There is no " mystery "...and there are no $50 pieces of paper either.You, the customer, are told...for the PRICE OF THE BOOK...BY HONEST PEOPLE ..where to get a reasonably priced paper.

It's a FACT that there are good usable papers at a decent price for the wood block beginner.... but I've never seen you tell that to concerned novices.

Now I'm going to make a bit of a " leap " here.... please be patient.

I've watched the video's of paper being made in Japan { made by you no doubt } Every time that old man dips into the " bath "...he pulls out $100 American dollars ! So.... that pile of paper in front of him...a morning's work.... is worth THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. But he doesn't look rich to me ! So...he's not getting the money...right ? So.. if you care so much about block printing... and you certainly aren't a shrinking violet when it comes to telling everyone what's what....why aren't you telling everyone in America.... who's RIPPING THEM OFF ? { because the Japanese peasant that I see doing the work isn't getting a damn thing ! Somebody is taking the cream here.... WHO IS IT ?}

I'D LIKE TO KNOW...AND SO WOULD A FEW OTHER PEOPLE.

I think that's a fair question. If I had your influence.... I'd tell people what paper to start with...and make sure they weren't getting ripped off like they are now.

And if I HAD LIVED FOR 30 YEARS IN JAPAN... I WOULD BE AWARE OF EXACTLY WHO'S GETTIN THE MONEY ! And I'd tell people what a fair deal was.... and what wasn't. I'd tell the people who's taking their money ...who's ripping them off.

How's that for an axe to grind ? Is it relevant enough ? Can you make the connection ? Is it about the" woodblock " enough for you now ? I think it's a relevant question forevery novice that's been ripped off and every novice that's being ripped off right now...I THINK IT'S RELEVANT TO THE WOODBLOCK YOU ARE CARVING BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO PRINT it On A PIECE OF PAPER YOU GET FOR 10% OF WHAT WE PAY FOR IT.

I guess I have " drifted a little " this time as well....I hope I have stayed on the subject more closely this time.

I appreciate your time and answers....

All this really amounts to is.... I'm interested in the ethics, culture, morality ...etc.etc. of all things. It's part of my life. I mean no disrespect.

AND JUST TO BE CLEAR... I think my previous concerns are relevant to any discussion on woodblock printing. Particularly when "con artists " are swindling innocent American people into going over to Japan to learn woodblock printing.The Japanese HATE US...they just love our money. It's true they might like you...but try and start a business in Japan and you find out what they really think. I know many Japanese... I grew up in Japanese culture... I read all the books on their history and anchient and modern culture.I probably read the Bushido before you could get your pants on by yourself. I've been there...my daughter lived there for years.... You can bullshit the novices...but you aren't bullshitting me.

So... that might also be part of my " axe " to grind.

Thanks again

Mr. Stavroff, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to respond to a couple of your points, and then I'm going to shut this down and turn off the commenting (censorship!). With all due respect to the fact that you seem to have some legitimate concerns buried in your screed, there is so much of it that is highly insulting to me (and totally unjustified), that I am not interested in having much more 'conversation' with you. As you know, right from your very first (private) email contact with me a few weeks back, you have been insulting and hostile, and I have kind of had enough.

Anyway, let me try at least a couple of these points:

Since looking around, I've found that most " printers " don't seem to care about how sloppy their work is....it's muddy and fouled ..and they don't seem bothered by this. {just look at 90% of the prints in the " exchanges " on " Baren " }

Amateurs do amateur work. It's the same here in Japan, where the exhibitions of amateur work are filled with sloppy prints. The traditional woodblock tradition is hard. Professional printers train for years before they get good. I've got people here in my shop who are now into their third year of training, and whose work still gets over 50% rejected. There is no short cut beyond practice practice practice. The work you have seen has been done by people who either can't do it yet, or who don't care about the same things you do. There is no mystery.

Then there are the more careful and able printers, like you...they don't seem to be interested in content. { and I'm trying to understand this }

As I tried to explain in the previous comment, I am a craftsman, not an artist. I'm a technician. My job is to get the colours onto the paper in the correct manner. 'Correct' as being defined by the master copy that I am reproducing. Designers design, printers print. It's not the printer's job to muck things around, so to that extent, he is not 'interested in content'. Think of the pressmen down in the basement of the building where your local newspaper is printed. Do you want them changing words in the editorials? Their job is to print the damn thing, as well as they can. Why can't you understand this?

It seems to me that YOU have an " axe to grind " as well. YOU'RE the BIG DOG of the "western carvers '....and having read the blogs, that you wrote for the most part, you seem to treat people's concerns with contempt.

I am just this guy, living in Tokyo, making woodblock prints. I do understand that there are quite a few people out there who respect what I do. I think this comes from a couple of things: I am very good at this, and I am very open about communicating and showing what I do. Treat people with contempt? (Well, today that might be true ... but this is very rare! :-)

I actually bought your CD for only one reason...you said you were going to tell me where to buy my supplies and where and what paper to get ! Then IN THE BOOK...YOU TELL ME ..SCREW YOU...I'VE CHANGED MY MIND ! ! ! I'm not telling you ANYTHING.

Have you actually read the thing? Here is a cut/paste from the page on Materials/Paper/Recommendations:

"When you get to the point of selecting your paper, either in a shop or from an online supplier - you are going to be faced with a bewildering array of paper types. And it doesn’t help that the product names in Japanese soon just blur together into an incomprehensible jumble. So here are a few guideposts - a short list of papers that you can safely select for your trials. Anything on this list should be OK for you to use for the kind of printmaking we are covering in this book.
Hosho is the generic name for a class of high quality paper; you will run across the terms Kizuki Hosho and Echizen Hosho. All my own prints are made on this (expensive) paper.
Masa, or Iyo-masa, is the next most common paper for traditional work here in Japan - the ‘journeyman’ among these papers.
Torinoko, also Shin Torinoko, is probably the paper most used by hobby printmakers here. Many types are available, in a range from whites to creams.
Nishi-no-uchi, Hosokawa, and Hodomura are three similar mulberry papers, with a pleasing old-fashioned toned appearance."

As for where to get these recommended papers, perhaps you got bored before you got to the end of the book where I included a section on Suppliers:

"Where then, do I get my own supplies? Well, I get all my printing paper from a single workshop in a small village in the mountains of Fukui Prefecture. I buy it in large batches made to my special order, and they do not accept orders any other way, even if I were to give you their address."

Indeed, that doesn't help you at all, so I also included this:

"First on the list of suppliers should probably be McClain’s Printmaking Supplies in Oregon USA. This is a family-scale business, with a couple of decades experience in providing supplies to printmakers, and they carry most of the tools and materials described in this book. Their website is: http://www.imcclains.com/"

Mr. Stavroff, I heard from you in your previous email that you have already been in touch with them. So what exactly is it that I am holding back? What else do you need to know?

I've watched the video's of paper being made in Japan { made by you no doubt } Every time that old man dips into the " bath "...he pulls out $100 American dollars ! So.... that pile of paper in front of him...a morning's work.... is worth THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. But he doesn't look rich to me ! So...he's not getting the money...right ? So.. if you care so much about block printing... and you certainly aren't a shrinking violet when it comes to telling everyone what's what....why aren't you telling everyone in America.... who's RIPPING THEM OFF ? { because the Japanese peasant that I see doing the work isn't getting a damn thing ! Somebody is taking the cream here.... WHO IS IT ?}

Iwano-san (Living National Treasure) would be so f*$% insulted to hear you describe him as a peasant that I don't even know where to start to reply. He is one of the most highly respected people in this entire country (as are most papermakers incidentally; it is a very old and honourable profession). He makes the paper to order (from people like me, other artists, or also paper wholesalers). He doesn't sell single sheets, he sells in batches. In the old days a minimum batch was 500, now it is much less.

He bills me at his current rate for the particular dimensions that I order. This rate changes year by year depending on his own costs, which vary mainly due to weather (and crop) conditions.

He sells to me at that price, and - if you were to be introduced to him properly - he would sell to you at the same price. For the past ten years or so (ending last year) the people over at the Baren Mall were buying and re-selling his paper. He billed them at the same rate he bills me, and they put a (very small) margin on top before re-selling it. (Actually, I believe they still have some left ...)

Nobody is getting 'ripped off'; Iwano-san is happy to sell his paper, is making a good living, and there are no 'con artists' in the background anywhere in that equation. It might be that you are trying to buy it from a place that bought it from another place that bought it from another place, etc. etc. down the line, thus resulting in a higher price, but that's your poor purchase decision.

I THINK IT'S RELEVANT TO THE WOODBLOCK YOU ARE CARVING BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO PRINT it On A PIECE OF PAPER YOU GET FOR 10% OF WHAT WE PAY FOR IT.

I buy my paper in massive amounts, straight from the guy who makes it. That's why I get it cheaper than you do.

The Japanese HATE US...they just love our money. It's true they might like you...but try and start a business in Japan and you find out what they really think.

This is where we part company sir, both because this is where my patience has run out (and I have to get back to doing something productive), and because you clearly don't have a clue what the hell you are talking about ...

Good day.