Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-17
BOOK ILLUSTRATING
Samples of Japanese Work in
the Noyes Collection.
EARLY HISTORY OF THE ART
Hishikawa Moronobu First Illustrator
of Note in Japan.
A BIOGRAPHY OF H0KUSkI
Celebrated and Versatile Print Maker
In Whom the Art of Illustrating
Found It's Consummation.
BIOGRAPHY OF H0KUsAI

The history OF Japanese book ilustra-
ton is virtually that of japanese print
making. but 1t covers wider field and
comes in closer touch with the life OF
the people.
The earliest printed book Of which Japan
| has any record was an edition Of the
| Seventeen Laws" brought out in me-.
| This was followed by number of re
| ligious publications; but it was not until
| 1905 when a romance entitled Use Mon
| ogatarl'' appeared, that a definite japanese
| style in illustrating may be said to have
manifested itself From then on illus
trated books became more and more com
mon. Some of the leading artists lent
| their skill to the work. Identifying vol
| umes of verse, etc, by original sketches
| in color.
But these books and pictures We're very
| different in character from those which
| came later. They were chiefly on rolls,
! like the old manuscripts and were produced
only in small quantities In 1867, however.
a series of volumes of designs for kimonos
wood blocks. printed in four colors, and
| when a trihe later the school Of UkiEoye
| found institution picture books of all de-
scriptionS became numerous and popular.
| The Noyes collection, a portion Of which
| is now on exhibition at the Library of Con
| gress, comprises over thousand volumes.
| lUS DidJollly OF WHICH were ISSUED OUTING
| the last hundred and fifty years. In form
| they are different from our books. Not
| only do they read backward. but their
| pages are reversed, the uncut edges being
| placed to the front. Nor are they bound
! as western books In almost every instance
! they have paper covers, and are fastened
| with cords rather than being stitched.
| They are handy little volumes, neatly
| dressed and easy to hold and when they
! come in sets q box case with peg fasten-
| ings is frequently provided In subject
yxsfi IL al.
| in fact, of history. folklore. romance and
| poetry. Like the prints they We're in
! tended primarily for the pleasure and profit
| of the working classes, and for this reason
their text is usually of less significance
! than their pictures.
Journalists Of Art.
The print makers of Japan have been
called the Journalists of art" and through
their book illustrations have proved their
| right TO the title. Without a knowledge of
the Japanese language it is possible TO read
| and understand the stories which these
| picture makers tell. Their utterances are IN
| almost every instance explicit. and their
| vernacular universally simple. The story Is
| Invariably to them OF chief importance,
| and intelligibility the first requirement.
| They never waste words or lines, and their
| reports are therefore both succinct and. sat
| isfactory. This is not an emblem of pueril
| ity, but, rather a token of master craft
| manship. To put a subject IN few words
| requires thorough understanding of its de-
| tails, and to present a theme with the least
| number of lines implies absolute command
| of medium
| The first japanese book Illustrator of note
| was Hishkawa Moronobu the son of
| celebrated embroiderer of Ava. Having
| a taste for painting he went TO Seddo, and,
| becoming an exponent of the popular
! school, devoted himself almost entirely to
| the making OF illustrations. He IS said TO
| have exerted an enormous influence upon
| the future of that art, and TO have led
| the way for other illustrators through his
| excellent picturing of contemporary life and
| his Interpretation of fiction. His work, con-
trary TO much of the same period showed
! refinement of feeling, and was apparently
| carefully studied.
Following him came Okumura Masanobu,
! who made a speciality Of the "Yehon," or
! picture book, pure and simple, albums OF
| pictures without any pretense of text be
| yond a short marginal script. One of these
! volumes. entitled Ancient Designs" Is
now on view al the library and shows,
| among other interesting cuts dainty pic
tUre of Japanese afternoon tea" Like
Moronobu, he worked simply in black ana
white, but his lines are sweeping and grace
ful, his figures well drawn and expressive.
Printing in Color.
The. secret of printing in color by the
use of a series of identical blocks was
known, we have seen, before 1900. but the
first book illustrator to adopt it successfully
was Suzuki Harunobu. whose chief period
Of production fell between the years 1852
and 176S. 1T is difficult" Strange says,
ito speak without an excess of enthusiasm
about the work of this wonderful artisan
He established new tradition in the paint
ing of women. and the influence of his
slender, graceful, eXquisitely posed figures
is to be traced in the work of ali the most
noteworthy of his immediate successors.
His color schemes are simple, but always
charming favorite and characteristic colors
being a dainty apple green and rich, deep
red. Although he employs cons darable
amount Of detail. such the patterns or
dresses, in his pictures, they never suffer
from confusion or overcrowdng; and the
solid black of a beam of the head-dresses
of his women is placed with rare wisdom.
This cleverness of composition and dis