(Mingei print: hawk, Mt. Fuji, eggplants)

 

Unidentified

 

c. 1950  

katazome stencil dye print 

7 /4 x 12 3/4" image size 

unidentified monogram in image, lower left 

unique impression 

Japanese characters in each panel 

 

cream kozo 

 

 

25454 

$100.00 

Mingei, meaning "folk craft," was coined by the art critic and philosopher Yanagi Soetu in 1925, though its origins stem from the indigenous people of Ryuku Kingdom (now Okinawa) and the island of Ezo (now Hokkaido). When Japan began its colonial expansion in the mid-19th century, many indigenous arts, skills, and languages were forcibly suppressed. However, some of the arts were kept alive and, beginning in the mid-20th century, found widespread appreciation. The nature of "mingei" usually specifies art made without attribution, an anonymous work meant for the people. In this print, it should be noted, a monogram is included in this work in the lower right, though whose it is remains a mystery. In the 20th century some artists established themselves primarily as mingei print artists, such as Serizawa Keisuke.

Katazome comes from the traditional kimono-dyeing technique that, after the Second World War, was applied to paper when the cost of producing stencil-dyed silk and cotton fabric was too high. These stencil prints were sold as stand-alone works that preserved the historic beauty of kimono, and also allowed for stylistic experimentation as Japan embraced Modernism.

The katazome process begins with carving stencils out of shibugami, kozo paper treated in fermented green persimmon juice and soda ash, making it stiff and water resistant. Artisans draw their designs on the surface, carve out the design to create stencils, and then place the stencils strategically on the paper. Then begins the process of blocking out areas of the paper that the artist wishes to remain white using resist paste, and dyeing the areas that aren't blocked. Various types of brushes are used to achieve gradient or solid color.