Written on January 31, 1989 [Permalink]

January 15

Made a trip to Showa Printing Company here in Sakae-cho to buy some 'katsuji', or metal type. This is for stamping my name on the front of the prints, along with Shunsho's. It looked great!

January 16

Trip to Sekaido in Tachikawa. I bought a frame and mat to hang Tenji Tenno, thus breaking my personal pledge never to let prints become 'wallpaper'. I also bought some illustration board and paper to make a sample 'folder' for packaging future prints.

It was also sometime around here that I went to the 0425 office in Tachikawa (a local newspaper) to check on advertising prices and procedures. A little spot (6x6 cm) would be 60,000 (in colour).

It was also sometime around here that I ordered 100 sheets of paper from Yamaguchi Kazuo-san in Fukui. I got his address and info from Yoshida studio when I was there two years ago (he is their primary paper supplier). He says that it will be ready 'sometime in February'.

January 23

Trip to Kunitachi, to visit Ikeda packaging company. They make various boxes, folders, etc. He showed me a couple of samples, and promised to phone with quotes. I had in mind a slip-case like Japanese books come in, that would hold 10 prints (a prospective one-year set).

A postcard came today from the microfilm company, saying that the bromides from the Toyo Bunko were ready and would I arrange payment (about ¥8,000). I also stopped off in Tachikawa at Sekaido, and bought enough illustration board, etc. to make up 10 sample folders.

January 24

Trip to Tokyo to pick up the bromides. They looked OK at first, but when I got them home and tried making enlargements for possible hanshita, it didn't seem possible to get a good image, as the lines came out either too fattened, or just not visible. Further inspection showed a set of defects across the entire set ( a 'drop-out' in the same position of each print), one of which took out Ono no Komachi's right eye! It seemed that they were useless.

January 30

Trip to Tokyo to visit carver Ishii-san (introduced by Shimano-san the block maker, who lives just a couple of blocks away), to ask about many things, but most of all - how copyists get their images onto the block. He told us about 'stripping film', and showed us a sample. He was very friendly, and generous with his time. He was polite about my print, and gave much helpful info about sharpening, knives, etc.. He didn't invite us into his 'studio'.