Abstract
Abstract Cherry blossom, sakura, is one of the visual symbols of Japan. For Japanese people it represents the beauty and fragility of life. Cherry tree belongs to the Rose family, which includes nearly 3000 different sub-species of flowering plants. Prunus serrulata, sometimes called as Oriental Cherry, is a species native to Japan, Korea and China. In Japan, cherry trees are roughly divided in yamazakura, wild mountain cherries and satozakura, cultivated cherry trees growing in residential areas. Moilanen’s research concentrates on the special properties of yamazakura, and its use in manufacturing printing blocks for traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The unique craft of ukiyo-e is gradually fading into history due to lack of successors. Difficulties in finding proper yamazakura wood material for making the printing blocks add to the problem. Moilanen gives an overview to the art of ukiyo-e and the present day situation in printing block manufacturing. Her article also includes an introduction of other wood qualities used in Japan for printmaking and a short report about a Finnish attempt for finding an alternative wood material to yamazakura. Research on heat-treated alder and birch was conducted in Aalto University in Helsinki 2008–2012. Finally, the current state of yamazakura in Japan is estimated, and the future prospects of ukiyo-e printmaking.
Highlights
Cherry blossom is known worldwide as one of the visual symbols of Japan
It is certain that the cherry trees are rooted deeply in the core of Japanese culture (Fig. 1)
All printed matter, ranging from religious and educational texts to picture books, advertisements, newspapers, and ukiyo-e artworks were produced from printing blocks made of cherry wood
Summary
Woodcut is a form of relief printing. The drawing is transferred on to a wooden block, with the white regions cut out by using knives and gouges. Many types of wood can be used in making woodcuts, but for ukiyo-e printmaking only mountain cherry or the yamazakura is good enough for satisfying printing results. Cherry plywood for ukiyo-e print production is made by gluing 4 mm thick sheets of yamazakura on both sides of veneer made of “shina” wood (Tilia japonica). The carved image on the old block is shaved away from both sides until the untouched wood inside is revealed This is planed further into proper thickness for plywood manufacturing. It is considered suitable for small sized works only, because the wood tends to expand when printing with watercolors This obstructs the registration of the colored areas in the picture. Shina-veneer is the most common block material used by contemporary Japanese woodcut artists It is gaining increasing international popularity due to its easy workability and smooth printing result. The timber for shina-veneer production originates mostly from Hokkaido
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