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 Sketch-tour books and prints of the early twentieth century [continued]
Scott Johnson
The texts of these books are by the artists themselves, edited by Kobayashi
Shôkichi. Clearly Kuroda Seiki and Kume Keiichirô had imbued their students with
the importance the French reading public placed on biographical details and
insights into artists' working methods. The young artists' travel notes and
numerous annotated illustrations were offered to the art-conscious Japanese
reading public in the hope of discerning responses. Artists and readers alike
were aware that Nihon Meishô Shasei Kikô was giving new life to the old
meishô-ki travel literature tradition. Not only was this series of books
completed as originally announced, the five series were reprinted at least four
times.
A somewhat different book came out in 1907, entitled Fuji Isshû (a
Tour of Fuji) by the Nihonga artist Hirafuku Hyakusui (1877-1933), with a text
by Saitô Kokufu. Hyakusui had studied under Kawabata Gyokushô (1842-1913) at the
Tôkyô School of Fine Arts. Gyokushô himself had been trained in the Shijô
tradition, one of the supporting pillars of the Nihonga movement. But by the
early 20th century Nihonga and yôga were already influencing one another
so much that sharp distinctions were more the exception than the rule. More to
the point, Hyakusui had been a student at the school where Kuroda Seiki taught.
Hyakusui's alertness to the sketch-tour genre of his yôga peers is
evidenced by the book itself.
Fuji lsshû is better known in the West than most works in the
sketch-tour genre because the striking cover is prominently illustrated in the
last chapter of Jack Hillier's Art of the Japanese Book.
Seven of the illustrations are hand-printed color woodcuts; four are
single-color woodcuts machine-printed with the typeset text.The blocks, of
course, were hand cut, but from this time on a distinction must be made in
writing about wood-cuts in Japanese publications: it can no longer be assumed
that printing was done by hand.
New printing techniques
Three-color photographic process illustrations are tipped into Fuji
Isshû; their prominence suggests pride in the use of the then still rather
new publication medium. Two illustrations are made by zerachin-ban,
gelatin plates. These seem to be a kind of relief-etched print related
technically to zincographs, but since the term has long been out of use, the
process is not clear.
In 1908 the Osaka-born publisher Kanao Tanejirô brought out the deceptively
simple Fuji-san Suketchi (Sketches of Mt. Fuji) illustrated by Sugiura
Hisui (1876-1965). Hisui had studied under Kuroda Seiki and exhibited with the
White Horse Society, but he is best known as a prolific book designer. It is in
fact the format of this little book that is its most striking feature.
Horizontal in shape, the hard-backed cover is without title or title slip. The
open ends are tied with tassels. At the top there is a leather loop for a
pencil. From the outside it looks like an artist's sketch-book. With the
exception of the lithographic endpapers which reveal the title, artist's name
and colophon information, internally the book carries out the conceit of being a
sketch-book recording an ascent of Mt.Fuji.
© Boston Book
Co. 2001
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