The earliest examples of relief type print in the form of woodblocks comes from 200 AD China. Woodblock printing, named xylography today, was the very first printing method that was applied to paper (SNAP). Back in the 2nd century BCE, it was believed that the Chinese accidentally created a more primitive type of paper after leaving their clothing in water for too long. Their clothing was made from hemp meaning that when left in water for too long, a residue would be left in the water. This residue could be pressed into paper which would go on to be a very useful material. More refined paper was then created later in 105 CE, this paper was created by soaking and pressing plant fibres, which then were dried in sheets on wooden frames or screens (Ancient History Encyclopedia). Carving into wood surfaces gave Chinese scholars the means to replicate important texts such as Buddhist scriptures by printing onto paper.
Although the Chinese developed these types of prints relatively early on, woodblock printing didn’t catch on in Japan until roughly 1800 years later! Woodblock printing became popular in Japan during the Edo period, which lasted from 1603 through to 1868. Its initial use was for reproducing traditional handscrolls into book form so it could be more widely distributed (Metmuseum.org). However over time it was then used for mass producing prints for multiple purposes. Prints of the Edo period focused on depicting seductive courtesans and Kabuki actors of the urban pleasure district. Of course, in time the subject matter of prints would change, ranging from famous romantic vistas to dramatic historical events (My Modern Met). The scenes depicted in these prints were quite popular amongst the wealthier people of that period. Although the woodblock printing method goes on to be replaced by methods such as the moveable type, it remained the most popular to Japanese artists that work in the ukiyo-e genre.
By the 11th century, moveable type was invented. The moveable type meant that separate text characters could be put together across several pages instead of painstakingly creating a woodblock for each individual page. Bi Sheng was the first to develop the moveable type system, around 1040 AD, using a ceramic type material. The way he would do it was to use a relief type of cut to create the Chinese characters onto porcelain clay, then they would go into the kiln to be fired (Wikipedia). These individual characters could be mixed around to create certain messages that would then be inked up and printed onto paper/silk. Bi Sheng also went on to experiment this method by using wood instead of clay. For himself this material was not up to standard, as the grain of wood and the absorbing of the ink often led the markings to be smudged and uneven. However, this wasn’t the case for everyone as the wood version was responded to quite well by others, most likely because wood is easier to carve than baked clay. This version of printmaking became very popular once Chinese printers started using a bronze material instead, this print type was used mainly for money and official documents (Colour Print).
Colour Print. (2018). Moveable Type: A Print Revolution. [online] Colour print. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://www.col-print.co.uk/blog/moveable-type-a-print-revolution
Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Movable type. [online] Wikipedia. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable_type.
Metmuseum.org. (2021). Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style. [online] Metmuseum.org. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm?fbclid=IwAR1fGlaDFj6FihzLYJl2BJ4WQ_z70eMXmZBdh-fhgy6UsdZPhJu0Evg5QUg
Ancient History Encyclopedia. (2017). Paper in Ancient China. [online] Ancient History Encyclopedia. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/article/1120/paper-in-ancient-china/#:~:text=The%20Invention%20of%20Paper&text=The%20traditional%20date%20for%20the.
My Modern Met. (2019). The Unique History and Exquisite Aesthetic of Japan’s Ethereal Woodblock Prints. [online] My Modern Met. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/ukiyo-e-japanese-woodblock-prints/?fbclid=IwAR10k8OAvwI9O93pp3OQuSTnBV6Ct_2WlQWUmfzSUM0ogyQoE1L_suwhZF8 [Accessed 31 Jan. 2021].
SNAP. (N/A). The History of Printmaking from Wood Blocks to the Digital Age. [online] SNAP. [Viewed 31 January 2021]. Available at: https://snapartists.com/snapline-article/the-history-of-printmaking-from-wood-blocks-to-the-digital-age/ [Accessed 31 Jan. 2021].
