Type A1 Cover (14 Blocks Used)

Type A2 Cover (14 Blocks Used)

Type B Cover (13 blocks Used)

Basically the Same Books with Slightly Different
Cover Illustrations and Paste On Title Labels

 
Nishinomiya & Hasegawa (Publisher)
Process of Wood-block Printing, 12mo (7 1/8 x 5 in - 18 x 12.5 cm), not dated but believed to be ca 1940, decorative cloth cover, horizontal format with pages bound in foldout (accordion) style, 29 (27) pages total. This book provides step by step illustrations of the creation of a color woodblock print. The book starts with the key block and follows it through to a completed color woodblock print. The page on the left shows the next step in the process and the page to the right of that is the woodblock as it looks after each incremental step. The first step is the black and white "Key" block. This is followed by 13 additional steps in the book with the Type A cover and 12 additional steps in the book with the Type B cover. Each succeeding page is affixed to the previous page in the right margin. This format allows you to completely open the book out and view the entire process from beginning to completion. The book with the Type A cover has 29 pages while the book with the Type B cover has 27 pages.

This book was produced at a later stage in the life cycle of the Hasegawa enterprise. Based upon the Nishinomiya & Hasegawa, Inc., notation on the text page, it was produced at a time when Nishinomiya, one of T. Hasegawa's sons, was directing the business. I have approximated the date as 1940 but it could be earlier or later.

The 14 block books are found with a least two slightly different covers (Type A1 & A2). The patterns on the two type A covers have similar patterns/illustrations but the colors are different. The covers on the type B (13 blocks) have the same illustrations as the A covers but they are arrayed in in a significantly different pattern.

While the Nishinomiya/Hasagawa imprint was not placed on the books, I believe that Nishinomiya produced several similar type books with the same title (Process of Wood-block Printing). These books were in a vertical format and smaller than this book. For more information on those books, see below.

This book is sometimes found with a "Imported for Sale by Charles E. Tuttle Co." bookseller label inside the front cover.

The Completed Woodblock

"Shono" from the 53 Stations
of the Tokaido by Hiroshige

Explanation of the Process

Steps (14) in the Process

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In the book with the Type B Cover, the above two blocks are combined into one block.

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Books/Folios With Actual Color Woodblock Prints Illustrating the Process of Color Woodblock Printing:

• 1907, Process of Wood-Cut Printing, The Shimbi Shoin, Tokyo, 127 pairs of prints.
• 1907, Process of Wood-Cut Printing Explained, The Shimbi Shoin, Tokyo
• c1916-1938, Process of Wood-Cut Printing Explained, (Two Ladies in a Boat), The Shimbi Shoin, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1920, Process of Wood-Cut Printing Explained (Lady Fishing), The Shimbi Shoin, Tokyo, more information here.
• 1932, Multi-Coloured WoodBlocks (Beauty Playing with a Cat), The Shimbi Shoin, Tokyo, more information here (30 color blocks).
• c1938, The Process of Wood-Cut Printing, Asaksa Temple, Doi Hangaten, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1940, Process of Wood-block Printing, Nishinomiya & Hasegawa, Inc, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1950, The Process of Wood-block Color Printing (Woman in Snow with Umbrella), Takamizawa Mokubansha., Tokyo, more information here.
• c1950, The Process of Wood-block Color Printing (Young Lovers Walking Together under an Umbrella), Takamizawa Mokubansha., Tokyo, more information here.
• c1950, Japanese Woodblock Prints, Uchida Wood Block Printing Co. Ltd, Kyoto, more information here.
• c1950, The Process of Color-Block Printing (Fuji and Trees), S. Watanabe, Tokyo (Ginza), more information here.
• c1950, The Process of Color-Block Printing (Fuji and Wave), S. Watanabe, Tokyo (Ginza), more information here.
• c1953, Process of Wood-block Printing (Fuji and Wave), probably Nishinomiya/Hasegawa, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1953, Process of Wood-block Printing (Winter Scene with Temple & Lantern), probably Nishinomiya/Hasegawa, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do Co., Kyoto, Harunobu, woman beating cloth, more information here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do Co., Kyoto, Utamaro, two women cooking from "One of Twelve Sketches of Handicraft Arts for Women," more information here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do Co., Kyoto, Utamaro, two women weaving cloth from "One of Twelve Sketches of Handicraft Arts for Women," more information here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do Co., Kyoto, Utamaro, "Waitress Okita from the Naniwaya Tearoom," more information here.
• c1956, The Japanese Wood-Print, Unso-do Co., Kyoto, pamphlet discussing history of the Japanese wood-print and the implements/methods of manufacture, more information here.
• c1963 The Process of Wood-block Color Printing, (Hiroshige's "Night Scene at Kambara"), H. Nakazawa, Tokyo, more information here.
• c1970, Process Book of Woodblock Printing (Walking in Snow), Uchida Uchida Art Co., Ltd., more information here.
• c1970, Process Book of Woodblock Printing (Two Children Playing), Uchida Uchida Art Co., Ltd., more information here.

 
Woodblock Print Books Available for Purchase (Process Books):

• 1932, Multi-Coloured WoodBlocks, (Beauty Playing with a Cat), The Shimbi Shoin, purchase here.
• 1938, Process of Wood-Cut Printing Explained, (Two Ladies in a Boat), The Shimbi Shoin, purchase here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do, Kyoto, Harunobu Suzuki, woman beating cloth, purchase here.
• c1956, Process of Printing Wood Engraving, Unso-do, Kyoto, Two Women Cooking from "One of Twelve Sketches of Handicraft Arts for Women," purchase here.
• c1970, Process Book of Woodblock Printing, Walking in the Snow, Uchida Uchida Art Co., Ltd., reddish brown boards, purchase here.

 
Miscellaneous Woodblock Print Books and Folios Available for Purchase (Other than Process Books):

• c1960, The Tokaido Fifty Three Stations by Hiroshige, Unso-do, Kyoto, purchase here.
• c1960, The Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai, Unso-do, Kyoto, purchase here (Fine/Fine).
• c1960, The Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai, Unso-do, Kyoto, purchase here (Fine/Very Good).
• c1960, Twelve Months of Kyoto, (folio of 12 woodblock prints), Uchida Wood Block Printing Co., Ltd, Kyoto, Tokuriki Tomikichiro, purchase here.
• c1960, Four Seasons of Tokyo, (folio of 4 woodblock prints with presentation folder) Uchida Wood Block Printing Co., Ltd, Kyoto, Tokuriki Tomikichiro, purchase here.
• c1960, Four Seasons of Tokyo, (folio of 4 woodblock prints without presentation folder) Uchida Wood Block Printing Co., Ltd, Kyoto, Tokuriki Tomikichiro, purchase here.