Written on December 11, 1989 [Permalink]

December 9

Printed the colours - with mixed results. The actual impressions are very smooth, there's not even a hint of any blotches or other problems, and the procedure was relaxed and smooth. The problem comes in the actual choice of colours. The original is almost completely faded out, and I'm on my own, with predictable results ...

Although the different colours I mixed all look OK in isolation, the balance together on the print is all wrong. I took a copy of the sumi-ban impression to the corner store and made a dozen or so photocopies, and then Michiyo, the kids and I all sat down with our gigantic collection of colour pencils to try and find some suitable selections. Fumi wasn't much help (a purple face and black kimono), but Himi and Michiyo had some better suggestions.

In the evening prepared more paper for another run at it. Stepped up the amount to 50 sheets this time. Maybe after a few years I can even make 100 or 200 like the 'big boys'!

I haven't been keeping notes on it, but we've been making efforts to find out where and when any 'karuta' meetings or competitions are being held this New Year season. Every lead is drawing a blank, and nobody seems to know anything about such events. The 'Karuta Kyokai' has never answered my letter, and doesn't answer the phone ... The magazine flyers were a bust, NHK never did phone back, nothing came of either the poetry society meeting or the demo at the community center, and I've pretty much run out of ideas on how to further promote this project. Sandwich boards on the Ginza? An open-air printing demo in Ueno park? Door-to-door?

I find it astonishing that in a few more weeks now, this project will have been cooking for a year. It's actually been nearly two years since I started carving Tenji Tenno, but the first year was mostly fooling around with the 'Woody Friend Toy Company'. I remember that right after seeing the first copies of Tenji Tenno I started calculating when I could finish the English classes. The first target was the end of the 'school year' that April. I missed that, but shot for a finish when the summer break came. That went by, and now I seem to have missed the chance to make it at the end of this term... Michiyo thinks I should forget about quitting teaching, and just settle into a routine of doing both (plus her translation work, of course!). No way! I'd like to be able to get up in the morning and face a relaxed day's work, not a frantic scramble to get everything done, followed by a collapse into bed at 1:00. Or it would sure be nice to be able to take some time off, and see a bit of this country while we're here. Aside from our trips to Michiyo's parents place, which seem to have come to an end now, our only chance to travel has been that rushed trip to Kyoto this past summer. I'd like to get to Okinawa, Hokkaido, Seto nai kai, ... I think that all we need is either one small article in a wide-circulation magazine, or a well-done blurb on the tube, and we'd be set. One frustrating part of this is knowing that once the project is well under way (or finished!), the requests for publicity etc., are quite possibly going to become bothersome! "No thank you, no more interviews this week, please (cough, cough , cough)."

Ah well, enough complaining - it's only 12:50 (AM), time to get to work on the New Year card ...

December 10

Sumi on the 50 copies, with no problems. Gosho-san's baren is working pretty well, but I think that it will need a 'breaking-in' period. The coil has a number of 'high' spots, which leave streaks on the finished impressions. I've tried hammering them down a bit, but I think that mostly the coil just has to be worked into shape.

December 11

Colour on the 50 copies, after finishing a rush translation job in the morning (can you imagine what it's like doing that stuff with 50 sheets just sitting there waiting to be worked on?). Things went smoothly, although there was plenty of hair pulling over the colour mixing.

I had just got the first colour on when Inoue-san, the Sankei reporter showed up. We talked for just about two hours, and I think she got a pretty good idea of the project. She says that the article (apparently quite a small one) will probably appear on Wednesday the 20th. Will it earn us any Xmas presents ...?

What with the interview as well as babysitting in the evening (Michiyo was out with her tennis friends) there wasn't enough time to finish all the blocks today. Moistened some slips of paper for folder label printing tomorrow.

A bit of bad news in the mail today. Along with Mr. Sasaki's payment for Kiyohara no Motosuke [1-5], came a terse little note saying that he didn't want any more prints. No reason given. I'll have to write him a 'thank you' note, and try to find out why ... That cuts us down to 16 now.

December 12

One of those non-stop days - kids to the day care - finish the last couple of colour blocks - print the labels for the folders - type in the Japanese translation of this month's blurb to accompany the prints - run off copies - cut cardboard and make 25 shipping folders - run off labels, and glue up a couple of dozen folders - select good prints and mount them in the folders - make out bills and payment slips - write out shipping labels - pack and wrap everything ready for taking to the post office tomorrow ... did I forget anything ...?