Written on March 20, 1990 [Permalink]

March 17

Finished them off - 60 copies, with 5 colours (two of them double impression) - in just under 12 hours - straight. I think that maybe 3 of them are not so good. I'm really being quite careful with blotches these days. Now that the prints are selling well, I realize that any sheet spoiled by a blotch represents a loss of ¥10,000. That's a pretty steep price to pay for such a tiny mistake! If Seki-san messes up a sheet, he only stands to lose the ¥900 or so that he would have received for it!

In the evening, finally started to put some ideas down on paper for the newsletter. I'm going to call it 'Hyakunin Issho', and plan to get it out maybe 3 or 4 times a year, sending it to all the customers, as well as anvbody else who has been in contact with us (press, etc.). I think there's a really interesting story waiting to be described, and if I can keep it up over the years, it should make a very worthwhile keepsake. I also have the idea that if people will keep it side by side with their print collection, it should serve to 'personalize' the prints, and help to give some substance to 'who' I am, not just the name 'David Bull' on the print labels. When I get enough stuff down, and Michiyo has translated it, I think I'll send it off to the Moritas in Osaka, for production on their DTP system.

Dropped off the bakery's print today, and they tried to give me ¥100,000. This was in payment for the set that I had taken around the other day, for showing to the carpenter who builds their showcases, etc. He had apparently seen their set, and wanted one. It turns out though, that although he wants the prints, he would like to pay for them month by month. This is OK by me, but the bakery people wanted to pay me up front out of their own pocket, and collect from him later. This didn't seem fair, and I refused to take the money. After some discussion, we agreed that they should pay me month by month, along with their own payment. Why I can't simply deal directly with him escapes me, but the bakery people seem quite willing to act as an 'intermediary'. I wonder if I'll ever discover who this customer is!

March 19

A day off yesterday (that's twice this year ... getting lazy!) Took the kids out for lunch and to visit Grandad in his hospital. Today, finished the hashita preparation for Sei Shonagon [2-2], and got her pasted down ready to go. I used that beautiful block that Shimano-san sent in the last batch some weeks ago. It's got fabulous straight grain, and is far and away the best piece of wood I've ever had.

We phoned him today, and made arrangements to stop by his place tomorrow for an 'interview'. I want to do a feature in each issue of the newsletter on one of the 'support' people who work behind the scenes, preparing my materials, etc... We'll also drop by and see Matsuzaki-san.

March 20

Mission accomplished. An enjoyable day, visiting Shimano-san and Matsuzaki-san. It was a tight squeeze, getting both jobs done between hoikuen drop off and pick up, but we managed to enjoy a pleasant visit with each.

As I had somewhat expected, it was impossible for Shimano-san to continue working while we talked, and we ended up stealing about two hours out of his working day. Ishii-san also dropped by (after Shimano- san phoned for 'help'), and they were most helpful in answering my questions on wood, planing, etc. etc. I got enough material to do the little article, including some photos, and we then went for lunch with them. Of course we discussed the 'state' of the business, and they are both completely pessimistic about its future. There is no doubt in either of their minds that this business will finish when the current groups of workers can no longer continue.

I also got rather a shock today. Last year, he had been quite definite in his insistence that supply of cherry was no problem at all, and that delays were only due to work load. Today, we got a totally different story. Cherry has now become scarce - so scarce that he will no longer be able to supply me with enough blocks for me to continue! Instead of making full-sized 'O-ban' blocks, he will now be sending me narrower strips, that I will have to juggle around and use sideways for the coloured areas of my prints. He can still supply the 'odd' full blocks for the key outlines. This is horrible news. It seems that he is 'telling it like it is', because the blocks that Ishii-san picked up while we were there, were cut the same way.

Part of the problem is a new project underway by the kumiai. They are cooperatively making a new set of the Hiroshige Tokaido prints, in an edition of 300 copies. Their schedule calls for 5 new prints per month (to finish within the year), and this will need about 30 or so blocks from Shimano-san. He has neither the time nor the wood, to see to my needs, small as they may be.

After having lunch with the two of them, we headed over to Matsuzaki's place. He and his son were printing a run of 3,800 envelopes for the post office to use as first day covers. 3,800! He said that each colour was taking three days! I can't imagine any work more boring than this kind of stuff. He seemed quite glad of the excuse to take a break and chat for an hour. He gave me some pointers on the colours for the next print, and some advice on sumi mixing, which I'm still not very confident of, and just like last time, he gave us a print to take home, this time a Hiroshige Edo snow scene. I enjoy meeting him, and sure wish that we lived a bit closer!

In the evening, after Yukiko-san's class, prepared a dozen sheets to print some more copies of Koko Tenno [2-1]. I did 50 and 60 last week, and after sending the freebies, and setting aside the spoiled copies, I find that this leaves me with 88 good ones (20 of which have already been shipped). It will be easier to keep track of things if I print everything from now on in batches of 100, so these few extra ones should bring me up to that level. Starting next month, I'll do 60 and 60, which will give me 100 for sale, a few freebies, and (maybe) a few spoiled copies.