User:Ranyallë/Nishiki-e

Nishiki-e (錦絵, "brocade picture") is a type of Japanese multi-coloured woodblock printing; the technique is used primarily in ukiyo-e. It was invented in the 1760s, and perfected and popularized by the printmaker Suzuki Harunobu, who produced many nishiki-e prints between 1765 and his death five years later. Previously, most prints had been in black-and-white, coloured by hand, or coloured with the addition of one or two colour ink blocks. A nishiki-e print is created by carving a separate woodblock for every colour, and using them in a stepwise fashion. An engraver by the name of Kinroku is credited with the technical innovations that allowed so many blocks of separate colours to fit together perfectly on the page, in order to create a single complete image.

This style and technique is also known as Edo-e (江戸絵), referring to Edo, the name for Tokyo before it became the capital.

Process
Nishiki-e began as simple color printing in the 1740s before progressing to a process involving multiple color blocks along with the basic black outline. The initial block served as a proof for ascertaining and correcting possible errors from the creation of the block. These multiple blocks are aligned during the pressing process using a combination of the simple outline provided by the initial black ink block and registration marks along the sides of the piece (called kento). Indications on the keyblock proof denoted which areas of the concepted finished print would be in a given color, each color requiring a separate proof. The inks used tended to be of an organic nature, complicating efforts at modern analysis and reverse-engineering, and also preservation.

Edo Era
Nishiki-e is also known as Edo-e, or azuma-nishiki-e. The technology to produce nishiki-e made printing complex colors and figures easy. It became a popular commodity during the Edo period. Due to the increasing number of nishiki-e shops during the era, the price of a nishiki-e dropped to an affordable 16 to 32 mon.

Meiji Era
In the Meiji period, various nishiki-e illustrated new fashions, imported goods, events, the railroad, and other new topics. "Newspaper nishiki-e" (新聞錦絵, shinbun nishiki-e) were very popular among the public during this period. Print designers created nishiki-e on topics picked up from the newspapers such as Tōkyō Nichinichi Shinbun or Yūbin Hōchi Shinbun. These became especially popular for a brief period from the mid- to late-1870s, existing as a format long enough in Osaka and Kyoto to begin to evolve.

Woodblock prints soared in popularity during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), with 3,000 prints produced during this 9-month period. These prints generally glorified the Japanese army while denigrating the Chinese. And the bright colours in the prints, exciting scenes, and inexpensive nature made them a good alternative to the black and white photographs of the time.

Taisho Era
Some of the most well-known printmakers in the Taisho Period include Yamamoto Noboru, Ohara Kofun, and Sakamaki Kogyo. Overall, the amount of Nishiki-e print production decreased greatly in comparison to the Meiji Period.