Wada Hyōe - Washi paper - Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)

Color woodcut motif "Wada: Wada Hyōe" (No. 29) comes from the famous series "The 69 Stations of the Kisokaidō Road" by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from September 1852.

The paper: Printed on traditional, hand-made washi paper. When you hold the print up to the light, you can see irregular screen structures. On the back of the sheet the colors and the black outline lines (Keyblocks) shine through clearly in reverse.

Since each color block was pressed by hand with a lot of pressure onto the wet paper, the woodcut leaves a tangible and visible texture. At the edges of the color fields there are often minimal ridges or depressions (embossing).

Small color artefacts (see pictures) are an important and very specific clue.

The image also has a few small round holes. In Ukiyo-e woodcuts they are a very common phenomenon and another strong indicator of great age. These are so-called wormholes. Woodworms or the larvae of parchment- and book-beetles (Anobium punctatum) loved the organic, mulberry-based washi paper as well as the starch-containing rice or animal glue used for the colors. Holes are not in the face or other significant areas.

In the world of Japanese art, genuine insect damage is considered one of the surest indicators of authentic age. Modern reproductions on machine-made paper that has been treated with chemical bleaches do not appeal to the pests. They prefer the purely organic, starch- and mulberry-tree-based washi paper of the Edo period.