Paint of Ukiyoe,"Gofun, White lead and Mica".
Translation of the video:
"When acetic acid vapor is applied to the lead plate, white powder is generated on the lead plate. White lead is made by collecting it and refining with water.
This paint has the property of turning black over time.
There is another white paint used in Ukiyo-e in the Edo period .It's "gofun".
This one is made by powdering shells such as oysters.
It's a theme I hope to clarify in the future what kind of regularity had been used for separating in the use of white lead and gofun in Ukiyo-e in the Edo period.
Mica is made by crushing the raw material mineral and refining it with water."
Special Thanks : Kouji Sugahara and Yousuke Suemitsu
Farther reading:
Both white lead and gofun have existed in Japan from ancient times, but their names, raw materials, and manufacturing methods have changed in the history.
It is said that the production of white lead in the early modern period originated in Senshu Sakai from the Keicho to Genwa period (1596-1624), and white lead by this production method is basic lead carbonate by applying acetic acid steam to the lead plate.
However, it was clarified that what had been called "To-gofun" in the Nara period was basic lead carbonate, and what had been called "Wa-gofun" was a chloride-based lead compound. "Gofun" is said to be a general term for lead-based white pigments at that period.
It is said that in the use of white pigments in Japanese paintings, lead-based white pigments were mainly used from ancient times to the Muromachi period, and from the Muromachi period to the early Edo period, they shifted to gofun which mainly was made from shells.And this gofun became to be the main use after that period.
A literature,"土佐光起「本朝画法大伝」"written in 1690, mentions that there are three types of gofun. "Hakua" is made from soil, "Gofun" is made from lead, and "Hamaguri-ko" is made from clams. Therefore, it seems that that gofun was a general term for white pigments or whitelead in this era.
I don't yet know when "gofun" was used to refer to white pigment made from shells as in posterity, but considering the transition and spread of the white pigment made from shells in the Japanese paintings mentioned above, this era may be the end of the period when the name of gofun was used to refer to "white lead".
In a literature 三宅, 也来（他）「万金産業袋」published in 1732, there
is a description,"gofun is oyster shells."
In a literature,Takamatsu Toyokichi
「On Japanese pigments」 published in 1878, there is a description that white lead is a basic lead carbonate, which is much more expensive than gofun made from oyster shells.
Considering the transition and spread of shell gofun mentioned above, it is thought that white lead was more expensive than shell gofun in the Edo period of ukiyo-e publishing , so the separating use of gofun and white lead in ukiyo-e in the Edo period can be speculated that it may be related to the rank of print.
In addition, titanium white has been commonly used as "gofun" among current printers of the traditional craftman, and some of the reasons for this are that the paint is suitable for printing woodblockprints due to its particle is fine and price is cheaper.When looking at the selection and transition of paints used by the printers from the Edo period to the present day, it seems that they are basically related to "price" and "performance such as ease of handling" in each era. Therefore, if lead white was expensive in the Edo period, one possible reason for its use is that white lead was easier to handle on woodblock prints than gofun.
I hope to be able to prove and clarify these things in the future.
This picture is an example of use of white lead. It is used as a "face powder".
Resource: https://webarchives.tnm.jp/imgsearch/show/C0028224
http://webarchives.tnm.jp/
The history of the use of lead-based white pigments as cosmetic powders in Japan is old.From the description in 「日本書紀」compiled in 720, it is said that white pigment made from lead was already introduced around at least 450 from China and was also used as cosmetic powders. And as a cosmetic product, its use was banned from1935.
Reference:
三宅, 也来（他）「万金産業袋」（1732年）
Takamatsu Toyokichi 「On Japanese pigments」（1878年）
鶴田榮一「顔料の歴史」（2002）
（有）金開堂「胡粉の白」（2008）
目黒区美術館 「色の博物誌」（2016）
Previous post:
https://ukiyoereproduction.com/post/187753890012/there-are-two-kinds-of-white-pigments-known-as-the
There are two kinds of white pigments known as the original pigments of ukiyoe in the edo. White lead （enpaku 鉛白)and gofun （胡粉grinded shel
https://ukiyoereproduction.com/post/613823087925985280/ive-made-an-equipment-for-making-a-pigment-of
Ive made an equipment for making a pigment of white lead. Equipment on the second photo had been used for manufacturing the pigment or face
