Reproduction or reprint – what’s the difference?

When you travel in Japan what would be more wonderful souvenir to your friends and family than a genuine ukiyo-e woodblock print. It is light to carry and is sure to keep its value in the future. Finding a shop that sells ukiyo-e prints is not a problem nowadays, thanks to the internet. Nevertheless you might get bewildered in the shop when going through a pile of prints on display. How to pick up “the original, genuine old print” among hundreds of beautiful picture sheets. The publishing date and the number of edition is not marked. All you get is the artist’s name and the dates when he lived. 

As you maybe already know, ukiyo-e prints have been produced steadily already over 250 years. If you try to find the first edition of a certain picture you will soon learn that it is almost impossible. First prints from the most famous artists are already located in museums and in safe houses of private collectors. They have literally spread all over the world. Because of the excellent durability of the block material, wild cherry, there might be thousands of the same image printed. Which is the most valuable edition then? Is it really always the oldest?

To me, not only the antique prints are precious, but also the freshly printed good quality fukkoku-reprints are valuable. They are all made with the same unique printing technique as in the very first edition of the image. It might be wiser to start appreciating ukiyo-e prints not only as objects for collecting but also as representatives of a very special cultural form. In Japan not only old and rare THINGS are National treasures, but also many traditional SKILLS are considered as cultural assets. A human being possessing a traditional craft is a living treasure. Technique of the ukiyo-e woodblock printing is among these appreciated cultural forms. There we find the reason why they are still produced: To keep that unique tradition alive.

Ukiyo-e prints were produced, and are still produced as teamwork of skillful craftsmen. In a matter of fact all kinds of Japanese old crafts, such as hand papermaking are connected to the print production. Unfortunately the number of traditional ukiyo-e craftsmen is diminishing rapidly nowadays. There are only less than 70 professionals who master the carving and printing in the old style. The last resort of ukiyo-e production is centered in Tokyo and Kyoto.

By buying a fukkoku-reprint, you are helping Japanese craftspeople in keeping the old ukiyo-e printing tradition alive. After next 100 years when this unique craft is completely disappeared, you can boast to have a genuine handmade mokuhanga from the last period of Japanese ukiyo-e printing

VOCABULARY

Mokuhanga = Woodblock print in general, including contemporary prints 
Ukiyo-e = “Pictures of the floating world“. Genre of art,

including prints and paintings made in Edo period 
Shozuri = First editions of ukiyo-e prints (original printing blocks used) 
Atozuri = Later editions of ukiyo-e prints (original printing blocks used) 
Fukkoku = Reprint, freshly printed old ukiyo-e woodblock print, 

made with old printing technique and newly carved printing blocks 
Reprint = see fukkoku. 
Reproduction = Digital print or poster made with contemporary printing methods

1. Hanmoto (publisher) decides to launch a new picture. 2. Artist makes a design in black and white outline drawing. 3. Hanmoto accepts the design and hands it over to the block carver. 4. Carver makes a key block and takes test prints from it. Test prints go to artist for making the color plan. 5. Color plan is handed to the carver who makes the color blocks. 6. Color blocks are delivered to the printer who makes the first test prints. 7. Artist and hanmoto negotiate about the design and decide the final colors 8. Final color plan goes back to the printer who makes the print edition. 9. Hanmoto sets the price and takes the prints to the market. (© Drawing by Tuula Moilanen)

HOW TO DISTINGUISH A GENUINE UKIYO-E PRINT?

There are multiple ways to estimate ukiyo-e prints, starting from the aging of the paper and color pigments. The artists signature style and the publishers seal also give a hint for finding the original production dates. Those methods are used by the specialists in museums. For common traveller in search for a interesting souvenier there are some simpler ways to check the originality of the print. 

1. Baren marks. Flip the print around and check the reverse side. If you see the rubbing marks of the baren and color pigments have penetrated through the paper, you have a genuine mokuhanga in your hand. In digital reproduction the reverse side has no marks.

2. Margins. Fukkoku prints often have wider margins than in the old ukiyo-e prints. You can find the carver’s name and printer’s name on the margin. You can also estimate the aging of the paper from the margins.
3. Hair line. Check the hair line in a beauty print or in actor print. If it is minutely carved and looks sharp, it is made by professional and skillful ukiyo-e carver. In the old days carver master could carve 4-5 hairs in one millimeter. Nowadays I have heard that 3-4 has become maximum.
4. Sharpness. Prints were produced in editions of 200. First editions (shozuri) up to maybe 600 have sharp and thin black outlines. When editions exceed 800-1000 copies (atozuri) the lines on the pictures are flattened and the result is shabbier.
5. Colors. Old prints look old and faded, depending of course how well they have been kept. Fukkoku-prints generally look the same than the original first edition when it came out. Color variation can also be seen in the old print editions. The publisher changed the color scale if the picture did not sell as expected.
6. Study more! Find more information about ukiyo-e artists and mokuhanga printmaking in books and in the internet. Go to exhibitions and see the original prints. Get the collector’s spark!

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Here are two variations of an Utamaro beauty print. 

Guess which one is fukkoku!